When you think of ginger, your mind may immediately visualize delicately sliced layers of light pink piled artfully in one corner of your sushi platter. Or maybe you’re struck by a craving for the spicy bubbles in a bottle of ginger ale. But, bottom line, whatever you’re thinking probably falls under the purview of the food and beverage industry. However, there are plenty of other ways (and reasons) to work ginger into your daily life.
Drawing a blank? Don’t worry — we did the digging so you could sit back and reap the ginger benefits. Here are a few ways to find your non-foodie groove.
1. A compress
Ginger has many therapeutic properties, making it an ideal choice for a healing compress. Per Macrovegan, creating this compress helps “dissolve stagnation, mucus and tension, melt blockages and stimulate circulation and energy flow.” It even helps improve skin issues and inflammatory conditions.
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2. Detox bath
Feeling a little sluggish and just sort of blah? You might need to banish some toxins from your body, and a ginger detox bath can help you do just that. Wellness Mama outlines several different types of these baths so you can pick your favorite soaking potion.
3. Joint oil
If your joints have been feeling a little creaky lately, look into making DIY ginger oil. According to the Arthritis Foundation, ginger decreases joint pain and reduces inflammation — which is particularly helpful for people suffering from osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
4. Household cleaner
There’s something pretty darn disconcerting about tidying up your home with cleaners that contain all sorts of chemicals. Thanks to ginger’s natural antiseptic properties, it makes a great addition to all-natural DIY cleaners, like the ginger-citrus-vinegar solution created by Wunder-Mom for keeping your surfaces clean and your family safe.
5. Tincture
Ginger’s powerful properties are perfect for calming an upset stomach, whether it’s due to motion sickness or viral nausea. And if you prefer more homeopathic remedies to over-the-counter pharmacy meds, you need ginger tincture in your life. The Nerdy Farm Wife has the full rundown on how to make it, store it and dole it out when your family members are feeling under the weather.
6. Ginger for hyperpigmentation
Unfortunately, many of us suffer from hyperpigmentation on our skin. Reasons range from pregnancy melasma to sun damage and everything in between, but suffice it to say, it’s easier to get than it is to get rid of (naturally, anyway). Happily, that could all change if you embrace ginger’s skin-balancing and brightening properties.
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7. Potpourri
Have a little ginger root that’s close to its expiration date and you don’t want it to go to waste? Use it to make your house smell like heaven with a stove top potpourri. Tossing ginger scraps into a pot of boiling water will create a blend of simmering spices so aromatic you’ll wonder why you hadn’t done it sooner.
Ginger isn’t the only product that can be used to make natural and effective cleaning supplies. Learn how to make 4 different disinfectant sprays in the video below!