Ginger–Don’t leave home without it!

I get sick with a cold or the flu once a year if I need it or not. This year it was the stomach flu. Probably not technically the flu but some norovirus that acts like the flu.

Whatever it was, it was a very nasty invader. At first I thought it might be food poisoning because of the nausea, vomiting and general intestinal distress. But I couldn’t come up with any foods I had eaten that would have poisoned me.  Two things convinced me it was a virus: a fever and David having exactly the same thing.

The point of that whole shaggy dog tail is ginger:  for 24 hours the ONLY thing that made me feel any better was a home-brewed ginger tea.

In the past when I had nausea and vomiting I drank Ginger Ale. I hate the sugar but it always helps. That is if you have any one hand. We did not. . . And both of us were to sick to go to the store and get any.

So I toddled out to the kitchen and cut up a bunch of ginger, stuck it in a pan, brought the concoction to a boil then shut if off and let the brew sit for a couple of hours. Eventually I took a Tablespoon of the brew and added it to a cup of boiling water and sipped it slowly.

Amazing things happened. First of all it actually stayed down! It effectively stopped the vomiting and treated the nausea!

Turns out that Ginger because of it’s anti-inflammatory is good for lots of other flu related symptoms as well because it:

  • has a strong anti-viral component
  • stops intestinal gas
  • acts as a natural anti-acid
  • fights headaches
  • relieves joint pain
  • sooths muscle pain
  • relieves respiratory distress

If you are unfortunate enough to get the flu remember that ginger is your new best friend.

About Genene Cote

Genene Coté -- Nutrition Advocate, Counselor and Coach who is also a Whole Food Plant Based Eater (vegetarian/vegan), cook and gardener.
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