ICM  Institute for Chinese Medicine, acupuncture basel, chinese medicine basel,tui na Basel, tcm basel
D E F  
  • Acupuncture
  • Treatment Modalities
    • TCM >
      • History
      • Methods of Treatment
      • Diagnostics
    • Acupuncture
    • Auricular Acupuncture
    • Electroacupuncture
    • Chinese Herbal Medicine
    • Tui Na /An Mo Massage
    • Moxibustion
    • Cupping
    • Physical therapy
    • Qi Gong
    • Tai Ji Quan
    • Gua Sha
    • Chinese Nutritional Therapy
    • Wai Qi Liao Fa
  • Team
    • Elaine Yap
    • Damaris Vilarino
    • Gabi Rahm
    • Frank Hediger
    • Noriko Matsumoto-Loosli
    • Olivier Schmidlin
    • Edmundo Belloni
  • ICM Treatment Information
    • Treatment Rooms
    • Treatment at ICM
    • Treatment Costs
    • Treatment Procedure
    • Documents
    • FAQ
  • Health Insurance Coverage
    • Health Insurance Coverage
    • FAQ
  • Contact
  • DEUTSCH
  • Blog
    • FRANÇAIS

Ginger: Simple is Profound

23/10/2022

0 Comments

 
Picture

​A few days ago, I looked into a book that was passed on to me and extremely invaluable as I attended university in the 1990s - an English dictionary. Since my last post about Sweet Potatoes and Roots, I have been contemplating this word "Root." So I looked in to find the definition of Root and I find 12 different possibilities as a noun and as a verb. Most of them have something to do with having a "base" or "core" or "source," whether referring to human, plant, language or mathematics, and even to encourage. Fascinating, isn't it? 
 
Many of the Herbal Medicines in the Chinese Materia Medica are Roots. One that particularly stands out is Ginger and is listed in a few different forms. They are fresh Ginger (Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, 生姜 Shēng Jīang), Ginger peel (Cortex Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, 生姜皮 Shēng Jīang Pí), dried Ginger (Rhizoma Zingiberis Officinalis, 干姜 Gān Jīang) and quick-fried Ginger (Zingiberis Rhizoma Praeparata, 炮姜Páo Jīang).
 
In its fresh form, just like we get them here in the normal grocery store, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, 生姜 Shēng Jīang, is a food-grade herb. As such, one can cook it with other ingredients to enhance the taste of that particular food, like fish, meat or vegetables. In some Asian supermarkets, you may find young ginger, that which is yellowish in color with a green stem protruding out of the rhizome. This form is a little less warming than the older brown version. Herbal decoctions regularly containing multiple Herbs, prescribed by a Chinese medical practitioner, often includes Ginger to harmonize the Herbal Formula combinations; aiding better absorption of the Herbs into the body and to prevent possible toxic side-effects from other potent Herbs. In fact, I have read that Ginger can be used as a remedy for food poisoning, and in fact is cooked with fish in order to neutralize toxins in many traditions. 
 
In the everyday, we can grate it, make an Herbal infusion out of it just by adding hot water and letting it steep for 10 minutes just as a beverage. This can be very helpful too if you had symptoms like chills and/or fever caused by the common cold virus. In fact, making a foot-bath or a whole-body-bath with this infusion till one gets warm and sweaty would also help expel what we call "Wind-Cold Invasion" in Chinese Medicine. If you wanted to enhance the digestive effect of Ginger, then you can throw in a couple of slices of Ginger into a pot with water and cook it for at least 15 minutes. This infusion would be less spicy but more warming for the Stomach, good for stopping nausea and vomiting in pregnancy or otherwise, help relieve bloating and digestive distress. Shēng Jīang enters the Lung, Spleen and Stomach, is spicy and warm. In contrast, Shēng Jīang Pí, Ginger Peel is spicy-cool and is good for edema and promoting urination. 
 
As with anything, too much of a good thing transforms it to a hindrance. If you tend to heat in your system, then too much Ginger will overheat you. A spicy flavor will circulate Qi and too much circulation will dry out the body. Use moderately or speak with your practitioner, if Ginger is appropriate for you. I find that this is one of the many simple Herbal foods that I almost always have at home or with me when I travel. One of our favorite meals is rice with chicken, cooked with Ginger, soya sauce and Sesame oil; a simple but scrumptious recipe passed down to me from my mother. Like so much around the world, people have used food as medicine since time in memorial. It is only us modern urban-dwelling, city-folk, who are often times disconnected from nature, who question the validity of food as being able to affect our health or never really realizing that what we put into our bodies might affect who we are. Just because something doesn't come in a form of a pill, doesn't make it less potent. In fact, it is this that I challenge; something in its purest form, like the Ginger Root, may be the strongest medicine as it is whole. In its wholeness, it helps us to find unity in ourselves, to reconnect us to our source, to our core. 
 
 
 
 
Image Ginger Root by Engin Akyurt on pexels.com
 
0 Comments

    Elaine Yap

    I am a Chinese Medicine practitioner at ICM, mother of 2 sons, living on my third continent. I'd love to share with you my perspectives on healing, TCM, movement, plants, social change and life.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019

    Categories

    All
    5 Elements
    5 Pillars Of Chinese Medicine
    5-pointed-star
    Abdomen
    Abdominal Breathing
    Abdominal Thearpy
    Abdominal Therapy
    Acupuncture
    Acupuncture Channels
    Acupuncture Points
    Adapting
    Addiction
    Adventure
    Allergies
    Ancestors
    Ankle
    An Mo Massage
    Apple
    Arthritis
    Ask
    Asking
    Assumptions
    Autu
    Autumn
    Awareness
    Awe
    Baby
    Back
    Bacteria
    Balance
    Ballet
    Barefoot
    Being
    Being Thankful
    Belief
    Birth
    Blessing
    Blood
    Body
    Body And Mind
    Body Autonomy
    Body Mind
    Bodymind
    Bokashi
    Bonding
    Breath
    Breathing
    Buddhism
    Bulbs
    Camellia Sinensis
    Celtic Shamanism
    Centre
    Change
    Children
    Chills
    China
    Chinese Calligraphy
    Chinese Dietetics
    Chinese Herbal Medicine
    Chinese Materia Medica
    Chinese Medicine
    Chinese New Year
    Chinese Nutrition
    Chinese Philosophy
    Choice
    Christmas
    Cinnamon
    Circle
    Clinic
    Cold
    Common Sense
    Communication
    Competition
    Complementary
    Complementary Medicine
    Compress
    Congee
    Connecting
    Connection
    Conscious Living
    Consciousness
    Constitution
    Container
    Cooling
    Cooling Foods
    Core
    Courage
    Crocus
    C-tactile Afferent
    Cube
    Daffodils
    Dan Tian
    Dao De Jing
    Daoism
    Daoist
    Death
    Destination
    Detox
    Diagnosis
    Digestion
    Digestive
    Digital Media
    Dim Sum
    Discipline
    Divine
    Dreaming
    Ears
    Earth
    Earthing
    Earthquake
    Eating
    Echinacea
    Emotions
    Empower
    Emptiness
    Energy
    Epigenetics
    Essence
    Etiquette
    Everyday
    Evolution
    Excellence Of Self
    Experience
    Eyes
    Fantasy
    Fascia
    Fasting
    Father
    Fear
    Feet
    Fever
    Fire
    Fire School
    Fish
    Flexibility
    Flower
    Focus
    Food
    Food As Medicine
    Freedom
    Fruit
    Full Moon
    Games
    Gardening
    Genetics
    Gingko
    Gong Fu
    Gong Fu Cha
    Gratefulness
    Gratitude
    Green Tea
    Greeting
    Grounding
    Growth
    Habit
    Hands
    Handstand
    Hangover Cure
    Hay Fever
    Headstand
    Healing
    Healing Reactions
    Heart
    Heaven
    Herbal Decoction
    Herbal Formula
    Herbal Infusion
    Herbal Medicine
    Heroes
    Holistic Medicine
    Homeostasis
    Honouring
    Hope
    Hormones
    Hot
    Human
    Humanity
    Humility
    ICM
    ICM Garden
    ICM Garden Project
    Imagery
    Immune System
    Information
    Injury
    Insomnia
    Intelligence
    Intention
    INternal
    Inward Movement
    Jing
    Journey
    Joy
    Kidneys
    Labor
    Lao Zi
    Large Intestine
    Late Summer
    Leaf
    Less Is More
    Letting Go
    Life
    Life Love
    Life Training
    Listening
    Liver Qi
    Looking
    Lung
    Lungs
    Magic
    Manners
    Maple
    Martial Arts
    Massage
    Medicine
    Meditation
    Menstruation
    Metal
    Middle
    Migration
    Mind
    Mindfulness
    Moderation
    Mother
    Mountains
    Movement
    Moxibustion
    Narcissus
    Natural Breath
    Nature
    Nei Gong
    New Moon
    News
    Normal
    Norms
    Nourishment
    Nourish Yin
    Now
    Nuclear Power
    Nurture
    Nǚ Wā
    Oil
    Olympics
    One-Size-Fits-All
    Open
    Optical Illusion
    Ouroboros
    Our Story
    Pain
    Parenting
    Path
    Patience
    Pear
    Pentagram
    Peony
    Peppermint
    Perception
    Perfect
    Permaculture
    Perspective
    Phantom Pain
    Pilgrimage
    Plant
    Plastics
    PMS
    Poison
    Post-Heaven
    Post-Natal Jing
    Posture
    Pre-Heaven
    Pre-Natal Jing
    Problem Solving
    Programs
    Pulse
    Purify
    Qi
    Qi Gong
    Rain
    Rebirth
    Recycling
    Relationships
    Resilience
    Respect
    Retreat
    Rhythm
    Ritual
    River
    Romanticism
    Roots
    Rose
    Routine
    Saffron
    Sarong
    Science
    Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis
    Seasons
    Seeds
    Self Care
    Self-Care
    Self Massage
    Self-Massage
    Sense Organs
    Senses
    Shang Han Lun
    Sharing
    Shen Nong
    Shoes
    Shonishin
    Simple
    Sleeping
    Snake
    Snow
    Solution
    Sound
    Space
    Space Time
    Spice
    Spicy
    Spiritual
    Spleen
    Sports
    Spring
    Staying Present
    Stillness
    Stomach
    Strategy
    Stress
    Stretching
    Summer
    Summer Heat
    Summer-Heat
    Summer Solstice
    Support
    Survival
    Sweet
    Sword
    Tai Ji Quan
    Tai Ji Symbol
    Taiwan
    Taste
    TCM
    Tea
    Teachers
    Temperature
    Tension
    The Pill
    Thermoregulation
    Third Ear
    Third Eye
    Time
    Toilet Paper
    Tools
    Touch
    Touching
    Transformation
    Trauma
    Travel
    Trees
    Tui Na Massage
    Unconsciousness
    Universe
    UTI
    Valleys
    Vibration
    Virus
    Vision
    Walking
    Warm Drinks
    Warming
    Water
    Watermelon
    Wei/Protective Qi
    Winning
    Winter
    Winter Solstice
    Woman
    Women
    Women's Life Phases
    Wood
    Words
    Wordsworth
    Work
    Wu Ji
    Wu Long Tea
    Yang
    Yellow Emperor Classic
    Yin
    Yin Yang
    Yin-Yang
    Yoga
    Zen Buddhism

    RSS Feed

Institut für Chinesische Medizin ICM GmbH

Falknerstrasse 4 | 4001 Basel
Tel. 061 272 88 89 | Fax 061 271 42 64
[email protected] ​
  • Acupuncture
  • Treatment Modalities
    • TCM >
      • History
      • Methods of Treatment
      • Diagnostics
    • Acupuncture
    • Auricular Acupuncture
    • Electroacupuncture
    • Chinese Herbal Medicine
    • Tui Na /An Mo Massage
    • Moxibustion
    • Cupping
    • Physical therapy
    • Qi Gong
    • Tai Ji Quan
    • Gua Sha
    • Chinese Nutritional Therapy
    • Wai Qi Liao Fa
  • Team
    • Elaine Yap
    • Damaris Vilarino
    • Gabi Rahm
    • Frank Hediger
    • Noriko Matsumoto-Loosli
    • Olivier Schmidlin
    • Edmundo Belloni
  • ICM Treatment Information
    • Treatment Rooms
    • Treatment at ICM
    • Treatment Costs
    • Treatment Procedure
    • Documents
    • FAQ
  • Health Insurance Coverage
    • Health Insurance Coverage
    • FAQ
  • Contact
  • DEUTSCH
  • Blog
    • FRANÇAIS