In this article, you'll find out what you can do with healthy ginger and turmeric and why they are so good for the body.
Phew, where should we start? They are highly praised, they are said to do miraculous things and the best thing about it: almost everything is true.
It's fair to say that if you're not yet incorporating ginger and turmeric into your cooking, you're definitely doing something wrong. Even in traditional Chinese medicine, but also in many other cultures, both plants were revered as medicinal plants with universal applications.
The differences between ginger and turmeric
The tropical plant ginger is slightly more yellow in colour, while turmeric, which originates from South Asia, has a more orange hue. Thanks to its colouring agent, curcumin, the latter in particular is also wonderfully suited to giving dishes a golden yellow-orange colour.
While ginger has a distinctly pungent flavour, especially when eaten raw, turmeric is a little milder.
Anti-inflammatory effect
The so-called rhizomes (rhizomes) of both plants are rich in valuable antioxidants. As with many other spices and fruits, it is the secondary plant substances that are responsible for either the colour or the taste and at the same time have the ability to bind free radicals in the human body to support the immune system. In ginger it is the flavouring agent gingerol, in turmeric mainly the colouring agent curcumin.
Intestinal health
Experts repeatedly recommend the two miracle tubers specifically for intestinal health. They promote digestion by stimulating the production of gastric juice. In addition, ginger in particular has been proven to be an anti-emetic, i.e. a substance that works against nausea.
The gastrointestinal tract also plays an important role here, as the plant acts on the serotonin receptors there and can therefore calm the stomach and the entire nervous system.
Not a cancer drug - but good against side effects
Turmeric and ginger are often cited as anti-cancer agents. However, there are no studies to date that validate this.
However, studies show that in chemotherapy or other drug treatments, which are covered by placebo control groups, a health-promoting effect: both roots can minimise the side effects that occur, above all nausea of course.
Other effects such as an influence on blood clotting or bone metabolism are realistic, but have not yet been sufficiently proven in studies.
The possible uses
There are no limits to the imagination when it comes to using turmeric and ginger in the kitchen. They are ingredients for Asian dishes, in autumn soups made from potatoes, carrots or pumpkin, they refine smoothies and they are excellent as teas (especially ginger). And if you have an acute craving for the sweet and spicy flavour (or just need an anti-inflammatory), you can simply place a raw slice on your tongue. You won't regret it!
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