We’re fully aware of the healthy superpowers of ginger, but did you know that eating the root or spice can provide beauty benefits too? Ginger has a long-standing reputation as a healer. It’s a time-tested home remedy for everything from an upset stomach to cold and flu symptoms. However, it’s equally impressive beauty benefits have been flying under the radar. It’s got anti-fungal, antiseptic, anti-bacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Anti-Ageing
Ginger can also help fight wrinkles! The food is packed with anti-oxidants, which reduce toxins in skin cells while increasing blood circulation, helping to reduce the appearance of ageing. It contains around 40 antioxidant properties that prevent free radical damage and protect against ageing. It also evens skin tone and improves elasticity.
Your body produces free radicals through exposure to sun, pollution, wind and your own metabolism. Free radicals can damage your skin by promoting pigmentation, sagging skin and wrinkles, making you look older than you are. Free radicals also destroy collagen, a key structural protein in skin, and can cause inflammatory skin diseases. Ginger contains antioxidants called gingerols, which may reduce the inflammation and subsequent skin damage caused by free radicals in your body.
Fights Acne
Ginger contains powerful antiseptic and cleansing qualities, minimising the rate of spot and acne formation by actively killing bacteria on the skin’s surface and deep inside the pores. Ginger contains antispectic and anti-inflammatory properties that will reduce existing acne and ward off more acne.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, ginger has been used for centuries as a medicine to reduce inflammation. Ginger root contains anti-inflammatory compounds called shaogals and gingerols which may combat inflammatory conditions affecting your skin, such as acne and psoriasis.
Skin Health
The presence of potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds in ginger helps in flushing out the harmful toxins from the body and thus, maintain your skin health. Apart from this, drinking ginger tea hydrates the skin thereby helping in restoring the moisture and thus, aid in natural glow.
Additional Health Benefit: Gingerroot appears to reduce the symptoms associated with motion sickness including dizziness, nausea, vomiting and cold sweating. Ginger has also been used to treat the nausea and vomiting associated with mild symptoms of pregnancy sickness.
It is important to note, like with any food, in moderation is key. To find out how much nutritional intake is recommended by the FDA Food and Drug Administration check out their website – http://www.fda.gov/default.htm