Ginger - Part 2 of 2

The following is excerpted from Dr. Leung's book, Chinese Healing Foods and Herbs.  This continues the last week's article on ginger.

In Chinese medicine, ginger is used either fresh or dried.  There is no problem for Westerners in identifying fresh ginger since it is the same fresh ginger root used in cooking.  However, the dried ginger or powder on Western kitchen shelves is not the same as the dried ginger (gan jiang) used in Chinese medicine.  For the latter, the rootstock from a different variety of the ginger plant is used.  Hence the Western dried ginger spice should not be considered an equivalent of the Chinese dried ginger used medicinally.

The first recorded use of ginger in Chinese medicine dates back at least 2,000 years.  It is described in the Shennong Herbal as being of medium quality, meaning that it could be toxic after long term use.  Traditionally, ginger (fresh or dried) is considered to have warming, diaphoretic, and antinausea and anti-emitic properties.  It is also said to dissipate phlegm and stimulate the stomach and intestines.  The more common medicinal uses of ginger include treatment of the common cold, nausea, vomiting , wheezing, coughing, nasal congestion, abdominal distention, diarrhea, and adverse effects of aconite and certain other drugs and foods (e.g., crabs and fish).

Perhaps the most widespread folk medicinal use of ginger, in the form of candied or preserved ginger, is in treating motion sickness.  For this purpose, a small piece of ginger is chewed and eaten as often as necessary during a car or boat ride.  I well remember when I was growing up in Hong Kong, our relatives visiting us from the villages used to come armed with preserved ginger and Tiger Balm or White Flower Oil.  Buses used to reek of these medicines.

Although fresh ginger is sometimes used externally along with alum (potassium aluminum sulfate) to treat hemorrhoids and skin sores and boils, its long-term internal use is said to aggravate these conditions instead. Its use is also not recommended for pregnant women, even though they may experience nausea and vomiting.  

The usual internal daily dose for both fresh and dried ginger is 3 to 9 g. (0.1 to 0.3 oz.).  Fresh ginger is generally used in the form of expressed juice, a mash , or boiled in water.  Dried ginger is usually used boiled in water.

The traditional uses of ginger described above have persisted for centuries.  Other uses of ginger described in more modern herbals or Chinese medical or pharmaceutical journals include treatment of skin peeling from the hand, hemorrhoids, baldness, rheumatic pain, painful intestinal hernia, stomach and duodenal ulcers, malaria, acute bacillary dysentery, acute orchitis (inflammation of the testis), and drug poisoning (e.g., aconite and rhododendron).  Some of these uses are reportedly quite effective, especially for malaria, rheumatic pain, and drug poisoning.  The effectiveness of ginger in treating motion sickness has recently been confirmed in The Lancet, a well-known British medical journal.  

Many remedies based on ginger are found in Chinese herbals, both classical and modern.  The following are a few examples.  

To treat coughing, wheezing, and excessive phlegm due to colds, a popoular Cantonese remedy combines the use fo ginger and black beans.  A piece of fresh mature ginger, about 120 g. (4 oz.), is crushed with the flat side of a meat cleaver and placed in a hot frying pan with a small amount of black beans (30 g. or 1 oz.).  The mixture is stir-fried until the ginger turns yellowish brown.  Two cups of water are added and the mixture is boiled down to about one cup.  The liquid, which is pungent, is drunk while hot before retiring.  It will cause copious perspiration, and symptoms are said to disappear by the next day.

To treat weakness after childbirth, especially after the first child, fresh ginger is stewed with sweet vinegar, pigs' feet, and whole eggs.  The meat, eggs, ginger, and soup are all eaten usually over a period of several weeks.  Young ginger roots are generally selected for this purpose, because old roots are too pungent.  This remedy is popular among Cantonese.

For treating long-term unhealed sores and hemorrhoids, ginger, with skin, is cut into large slices, covered with alum and roasted dry.  It is then ground into a fine powder and applied directly to the affected areas.  This powder is also used to treat toothache by applying it directly on the aching tooth.

To treat baldness, a folk remedy from Guizhou calls for mashing fresh ginger, warming the mash, and spreading it directly on the bald area.  Two to three applications are said to do the trick.  I wonder.

Availability: Fresh ginger is sold in Chinese groceries and is also available in many Western supermarkets.  

This information is excerpted from Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Chinese Healing Foods and Herbs. This publication includes further information and home remedies using ginger as well as over 45 other herbs.

Learn more about ginger and read further about Dr. Leung and his writings! Visit www.earthpower.com.

Magnolia Is Xinyi

Magnolia, also known as Xinyi, is the flower bud of Magnolia biodii L., M. denudata Desr. and other Magnolia spp. (Family Magnioliaceae). Properties of the magnolia bud include clears nasal cavity, antiinflammatory, antiallergenic, antihistaminic, antimicrobial (fungi, bacteria, viruses), muscle stimulant and relaxant, and local anesthetic. The most common traditional internal uses are for nasal congestion, common cold and associated headache, and runny nose. The most common traditional external uses are nasal decongestion, toothaches, and facial dark spots. Some more modern and recent uses are allergic rhinitus, chronic rhinitis, and paranasal sinusitis.

The magnolia flower bud looks like a pussywillow bud but when crushed it smells strongly of eucalyptus. It is readily available from any China Town herb shop. It is one of the most effective nasal decongestants I have ever come across.

I used to have a very bad case of hay fever, both in the spring and fall, all of which started during my third year as a graduate student in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I tried all kinds of over-the-counter and prescription drugs for hay fever. Some worked while others didn't. Those that worked caused drowsiness and made life equally miserable. Later, as my interest in Chinese herbal medicine was rekindled, I discovered magnolia flower and started using it. My hay fever was so bad that my nose was completely plugged at night, and I had to breathe totally through my mouth. When it got that bad, none of the modern nasal decongestants worked.

To make the tea, a handful of the buds (8 to 10) are crushed and steeped in boiling water and covered for about 5 minutes. After straining off the hairs, the tea is drunk. Incidentally, it tastes rather bad; only a koala would like it! A cup before bedtime got me through the night. To my amazement, after two seasons of use (once at night and once in the morning whenever I remembered), my hay fever was greatly relieved, to the point that I didn't need any more modern medications. That was a number of years ago. Now I only occasionally need magnolia. Skeptics may say I just happened to be outgrowing my hay fever the same time I started using magnolia flower. Maybe and maybe not. I was also skeptical at first after reading reports from China describing its use in treating rhinitis with amazing results. But the more I read about its history of use and modern studies on its various effects, the more I am convinced that magnolia flower indeed works.

The written record of magnolia flower being used to "clear the nasal cavity" dates back three thousand years. Although modern laboratory studies have discovered various active components (neolignans, lignans, alkaloids, volatile oil, flavonoids, etc.) in magnolia flower, scientists still cannot determine what accounts for its nasal decongestant effects. But as a former hay fever sufferer - and still one occasionally - I can only say "Who cares?" I am just glad that I can count on magnolia flower when I need it, even though it makes a horrible tea. To my colleagues and fellow scientists who happen to read this: It is not just the volatile oil that works.

Because of its antiinflammatory effects, extracts of magnolia flower are now used in certain cosmetics to relieve irritation or inflammation caused by certain cosmetic ingredients.

Dr. Albert Leung’s book, Better Health with (mostly) Chinese Herbs and Food discusses the use of 60 different herbs as healing foods, including magnolia flower on pages 63-64. For more information about Dr. Leung and his writings, visit http://www.earthpower.com/.