Magic Ginger

I'm spending my summer learning all about Chinese herbs. A lot of them truly require that someone who knows what they're doing tell you what you should take and at what dosage. A few of them, however, are remarkably effective and easy to get a hold of.

So far, I'm most impressed with ginger. Most people know that ginger is good for an upset stomach. I recently learned that the most effective way of taking ginger is to make fresh ginger tea - slice up some ginger and pour boiling water over it. It's incredibly simple, and it's way less expensive than ginger ale or ginger snaps. Plus, it doesn't have anything else in it that could aggrivate your stomach, and it's pretty tasty. It's good for any type of nausea, including food poisoning and morning sickness.

What I didn't know about ginger is that if you feel like you're about to get a cold - tired, achy, congested, etc - you can drink a cup of ginger tea, and there's a good chance the cold will be stopped in its tracks. Unfortunately, it only works at the very beginning stages of the sickness, so once you feel truly sick, it's too late for ginger to be effective. I've already had a chance to try this remedy out, and it worked like a dream.

My professor told us that she has at least a pound of ginger in her kitchen at all times. I just keep a small amount in my freezer - frozen ginger is much easier to grate for cooking than room temperature ginger. If I recall correctly, the piece I currently have cost less than fifty cents.