Ginger is one of the most popular plants in agricultural industry. The roots of this plant is a very popular spice used as ingredients for many dishes and beverages. It is also widely used as a traditional medicine. If you ever go to Asia, you will notice there are tons of ginger being cultivated and produced there. But it is also used in Western foods.

Ever heard of ginger biscuit? It is obviously made of ginger. Amazing how a tasty food can be made from a herbaceous plant like ginger.  In general, ginger provides a wide range of benefits.

As mentioned above, ginger is a common ingredient in making traditional medicines. That means, ginger is not only essential in cooking and making drinks, it also has health benefits. One of those health benefits is that ginger can helps treat asthma symptoms, one of respiratory problems. But, the question is, how ginger can help? Before you see the benefits of ginger for asthma, let’s have a look at nutritional values of ginger

Nutritional Values of Ginger 

You will find many healthy substances contained in ginger. Here is the list of components in every 100 g of raw ginger :

• 80 Kcal energy
• 17.77 g carbohydrates
• 1.82 g protein
• 0.75 g total fat
• 2.0 g dietary fiber
• Vitamins
• 11  µg folates
• 0.750 mg niacin
• 0.203 mg pantothenic acid
• 0.160 mg pyridoxine
• 0 IU vitamin A
• 5 mg vitamin C
• 0.26 mg vitamin E
• 0.1 µg vitamin K
• Electrolytes
• 13 mg sodium
• 415 mg potassium
• Minerals
• 16 mg calcium
• 0.226 mg copper
• 0.60 mg iron
• 43 mg magnesium
• 0.229 mg manganese
• 34 mg phosphorus
• 0.34 mg zinc

Now, let’s see now about the benefits of ginger for asthma treatments:

1. By enhancing bronchodilating effects of isoproterenol

According to recent study, there is a drug interaction when ginger compound is added to isoproterenol, thereby enhancing its bronchodilating effects. Isoproterenol is a type of beta-agonists, a medication for asthma. Inhaling beta-agonists is a conventional treatment of asthma.

Beta-agonists act as an anti-inflammatory agent which causes the muscles in your lung to relax. Adding ginger as asthma medication will accelerate this process which helps to improve inhaling mechanism.

2. Its potent anti-oxidant activity helps to treat asthma

Inside a ginger, there is anti-oxidant activity that can helps relieving psychological stress, which is a cause of asthma symptoms. In addition, it will remove free radical molecules in your body. Thus, you are safe from any potential diseases.

3. By having anti-inflammatory and analgesic attributes

Some chemical substances that can be found in ginger are gingerols, shogaols and zingerones. Those substances are believed to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic attributes, which means it can be used to boost the effect of asthma medications.

4. It provides safer adjunct to current asthma medication

It should be noted that conventional asthma medications may carry fatal side effects. Since ginger has proved a good enhancement for beta-agonists by enhancing their bronchodilating effects, it can be used as an alternative and safer medication.

5. By restricting the contraction of muscles in respiratory system

Ginger may help to open up the airways by restricting the contraction of smooth muscle cells in respiratory system, especially in the lungs.  Therefore, this process will restore the respiratory system back to normal, so you can inhale properly.

6. It helps the treatment with a therapeutic application

Ginger helps you to treat asthma, especially allergic asthma, with therapeutic application. This therapeutic application helps you to minimize the inflammation of mucus membrane in respiratory organs.

7. By improving blood circulation

You can make a mixture of ginger, honey, and lemon to treat asthma. This mixture is believed to be capable of improving your blood circulation, and other cardiovascular activities. As a result, the oxygen in your blood will circulate throughout the body properly, thereby making the blocked airways to open.

8. By activating an enzyme that affect the contraction and expansion of muscles in respiratory system

Another benefits of ginger for asthma is its ability to activate an enzyme. This enzyme will cause the muscles in the airways to contract or expand. So, you will breath normally.

9. By aiding excessive phlegm removal from your lungs

When you mix ginger and walnuts together, the mixture will help removing phlegm from your lungs.  So, you will recover from chronic bronchitis quickly. This mixture may also prevent any type of cough, this is done by clearing your throat and lungs from mucus, as well as combating infections in your respiratory passages.

All those occurrences will cause the airways’ muscles to relax and give your chest a cool and refreshing sensation, as well as get rid of itchiness in your throat caused by phlegm.

10. By easing inflammation

Firstly, you need to make a mixture made of powdered ginger, licorice tea, and lemon juice. These are the steps to make it :

• Put the powdered ginger and licorice tea together in a pot. Then proceed to boil them in about 5 to 10 minutes.
• Then, you lift the mixture out of the pot. Steep it for about 3 minutes.
• Add lemon juice into this mixture. Blend it.

So, basically you make a tea composed of powdered ginger, licorice tea, and lemon. Consume this tea 2 times a day. By doing this, your airways will be clean and the inflammation will eased. Thus, consuming this tea is an effective way to relieve asthma symptoms.

Those are the benefits of ginger for asthma treatments. But, you should not use ginger carelessly. Please take precautions before using it as one of your asthma medications.

Cautions of Using Gingers for Asthma

Here are those precautions: Please note that most asthma medications may have side effects. Since ginger fall under this category, you must know how to use it properly to minimize the risks of getting side effects. An example of this issue is the conventional asthma drugs Advair that contains salmeterol, which have opposite effect.

Instead of relieving asthma, this drug actually can worsen the condition of the asthma, thereby increasing the risk of death from asthma attack. Due to those things, always consult your doctor or herbalist first before further action is taken. When it comes to medicines, it’s better safe than sorry.