Ginger

Ginger is probably one of the world's favourite medicines and cooking ingredients. Ginger root has been used in Ayurveda for centuries and its fresh pungent flavour makes it an essential spice for Indian and Asian cuisine.Ginger is a creeping perennial on a thick tuberous rhizome. In the first year, a green, erect, reed-like stem about 60 cm high grows from this rhizome. The plant has narrow, lanceolate to linear-lanceolate leaves 15 to 30 cm long, which die off each year. The flower scape grows directly from the root and terminates in a long, curved spike. A white or yellow flower grows from each spike.

Action: Aromatic, carminative, stimulant to the gastro- intestinal tract, diaphoretic, expectorant, antiemetic, and stomachic, also sialagogue and digestive; Externally, a local stimulant and rubefacient.



Use of Ginger:

• Painful joints : Mix 3 drops essential oil of ginger root and 1 teaspoon of almond oil. Rub on inflamed or painful joints and cover with a dry cloth to hold in the heat.
• Indigestion and low appetite: (1) Mix ginger with ghee or hot water. (2) Mix together equal parts of ginger juice, lemon juice and rock salt. Mix well and take it before meals.
• Headache: Make a ginger paste by mixing dry ginger powder with a little water or aloe gel . Apply and rub this paste to the forehead before going to sleep
  
• Bronchitis: Take a mixture of half a teaspoon each of powdered ginger, pepper and cloves three times daily with honey or as an infusion or tea.
  
• Asthma : A teaspoon of fresh ginger juice mixed in a cup of fenugreek tea made with 1 tablespoon of fenugreek seeds and honey to taste acts as an excellent expectorant in cases of asthma.
  
• Diarrhea: Rub ginger juice on navel
  
• Sore throats, hoarseness, and laryngitis: Chew a piece of fresh ginger. This produces a copious flow of saliva
  
• Diabetes: Take ginger juice with rock candy twice daily.
• Sore throats, hoarseness, and laryngitis: Chew a piece of fresh ginger. This produces a copious flow of saliva.
• Nausea, and vomiting: Take a combination of ginger juice and onion juice
  
• Painful bowels or stomach: Make an infusion of dry ginger. Mix it with 1-2 tbs. castor oil.
• Tooth or face aches: Make a paste of ginger powder and aloe gel or water. Apply the paste to the face.

Gout

Gout is one of the forms of arthritis or joint inflammation. Usually one or two joints are affected at a time. Commonly joints of feet and ankles are inflamed in gout. The commonest site is the ball of the big toe. The first attack of gout subsides in a week or so without treatment. There may be a long gap of many months or years between attacks. As time passes the attacks become more frequent and more severe involving many joints. When the frequency of attacks increases progressive joint damage sets in. This is known as chronic gout. This leads to disability and crippling. Gout is very rare in women but usually affects men. In women it is seen after menopause.

Cause Of Gout:
Presence of uric acid crystals in joints causes inflammation of joints.Uric acid is formed during metabolism of food and building up of body tissues. When the level of uric acid increases in blood than normal levels, the uric acid forms microscopic crystals in joints. These crystals lead to inflammation of joints.

According to ayurveda causes of vitiation of blood:

• Indigestion
  
• Excessive consumption of salty, sour, hot, spicy, oily foods
  
• Consumption of Fish
  
• Consuming horse gram, urad dal
  
• Alcohol
  
• Consuming opposite foods
  
• Lack of sleep
  
• Obesity
  
• Sedentary work
  

Reasons For Increased Uric Acid Level In Blood:

• Hereditary
  
• Obesity
  
• High alcohol intake
  
• High intake of food like liver, kidneys, sweetbreads, tongue, red meat, shellfish, fish peas, lentils and beans. These foods contain purines
  
• Few drugs used to treat high blood pressure
  

Symptoms:

• Inflammation
  
• Swelling
  
• Tenderness in the affected joint
  
• Touching or moving the joint is extremely painful
  
• Fever and stress
• Severe pain in muscle joints
• Inability to bend fingers, toes, or other small joints
• Inflammation of joint tissues
• Burning sensatio
• Warmth in the joint
  

Long Term effects of gout gone untreated include one or more of the following conditions:

• Rheumatoid Arthritus and/or Osteoarthritis
• Inflammation of the spine (Anklosing Spondylitis) that causes the joints of the spine to grow together
• Fibromyalgia (Wide spread pain of muscles and attachments to the bones that occurs most often in women)
• Lupus (inflammation and damage of joints and connective tissues throughout the body)
• Scleroderma (disease of the connective tissue that causes thickness of skin)

Ayurveda Tips To Control Gout:

• Consume wheat, green gram, raisins, ginger, milk
  
• Avoid horse raiding, or other sports which involves lot of joint movements
  
• Avoid afternoon sleep, roaming in hot sun
  
• Do not consume alcohol, fish, urad dal, horse gram, curds, radish
  

How to Eat: When it is time to eat one should make sure to eat 4-5 smaller meals in a day rather than 2-3 larger meals in a day. This will help the body digest more foods more thoroughly, and the body will take in more of the necessary nutrients.

Exerize Regularly: A person with gout should be sure to exercise for at least 30 minutes a day. Stretching exercizes can loosen up the muscles, and help reduce stress on the body. Also, massaging of the affected joints can help as well. When possible, one should also partake in a moderate aerobic activity to help prevent further attack of gout.

Ginger: Ginger produces prostoglandins and leukrotrienes. These substances help eliminate pain and inflammation of the muscles. Studies have proven that the use of ginger has worked to relieve arthritic pain, and has done so with no side affects. People have taken ginger for arthritic pain and inflammation for up to two years.

Ashwagandha: This medicine will help in reducing muscle inflammation. When the person affected with gout follows the above diet recommendations and partakes in one or more of the ayurvedic remedies, that person is most likely to be cured. Also, one will be able to fight against the possibility of a future attack.

Cinnamomum Camphora: expectorant, skin stimulating, diaphoretic, decongesting, antispasmodic, analgesic, antiseptic.

Vetiveria Zizanoides: toning, cooling, stomachic, stimulating, antispasmodic, diuretic, emmenagogue.

Tips To Reduce Blood Uric Acid Level:

• Avoiding consumption of food which contain purines
  
• Reducing the intake of alcohol
  
• Weight reduction
  
• Altered medication for high blood pressure