ginger recipes

Enjoy the time-tested health benefits of this versatile and delicious spice with these perfect-for-fall ginger recipes.

Ginger scones could become your tastiest holiday tradition.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Though it’s often thought of as a root, ginger is actually the underground stem, or rhizome, of the ginger plant. There are ginger recipes for both kitchen and medicine cabinet: Used both as a culinary spice and an herbal medicine, ginger has long been a trusted remedy for many ailments. Ginger is widely used as an effective antidote to queasiness, thanks to its content of two types of essential oils—gingerols and shogaols—thought to help quell nausea. It also activates saliva flow and digestive activity, settling stomach disturbances and aiding digestion. Ginger's quease-busting power makes it a time-honored remedy for morning sickness. Research has even shown that ginger performs better than dimenhydrinate, the main ingredient in motion-sickness medicines like Dramamine.

But the spice can also help people who aren't pregnant or nauseous. Preliminary studies suggest that ginger can be useful in keeping cholesterol levels under control. Researchers have found that ginger helps kill the influenza virus, plus it helps the immune system fight infection. The plant may also lower blood pressure, and it may help ease arthritis with its anti-inflammatory properties. In a study undertaken at the Miami Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the University of Miami, ginger extract significantly reduced pain in all 124 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee. In preliminary studies at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center that were done in test tubes, powdered ginger helped kill ovarian cancer cells as effectively as traditional chemotherapy (though further testing is needed to see how that translates to its effectiveness in the human body).

Ginger has almost as may forms as it does uses. To use fresh ginger, mince or grate the stem after removing the peel. The spice is delicious in marinades, as a flavoring for seafood or tofu, or grated over sweet potatoes, carrots, green beans, or winter greens. Ginger juice can be extracted from grated ginger. Dried ground ginger is most commonly used in baked goods, and crystallized ginger—ginger cooked in sugar syrup and coated with sugar crystals—is also great in recipes. Ginger's available in a pickled form, as well.