*** Wrote this a while back but never had the chance to post it until now :)  
Hope it can help you get rid of the cold if you got one. Feel better! 

Three day weekends are awesome but not when you end up with the flu and ended up doing nothing on your 3-day weekend but stay home coughing, sniffing, sneezing and coughing some more. I went last minute grocery shopping Saturday night and I was in a hurry to get to the store so I went out with a damp hair. As I was walking to the car I realized that it was quite chilly outside but figured I’d be OK since I was wearing a jacket to keep me warm though I forgot my scarf. So I went and did my errands…picked up some Chinese food then  head back home and as soon as I finished eating I started feeling feverish and my throat started hurting. I took NyQuil right away hoping that it would prevent the flu but I woke up all achy with a sore throat and I feel like crap. So I was thinking, it’s ok…good thing it’s a 3-day weekend. I have one more day to recover from this sickness.  So I tried to eat though I have no appetite. Took some Aleve for the fever and drank some ginger juice for my sore throat. By Monday afternoon I was feeling a little better and felt positive that the next day I’ll be completely fine and be back to normal. Well, I was completely wrong! I woke up Tuesday morning all achy…throat is still sore and now accompanied by cough but I tried to ignore it and still headed for work.  Ate breakfast when I got to work and took some DayQuil in hopes that I’ll feel much much better in no time but guess what?! It didn’t work and it was such a pain when you’re trying to work and all you do is cough, sniff, sneeze and cough some more! I was feeling woozy, weak and I couldn’t breathe right because of congestion.  So, half way through the day I asked my boss if I could go home for the rest of the day and I’m glad that he was fine with it.  I went home, took more meds and rested thinking that the next day I’ll be all charged up and healthy again…but NOOO! I felt even worst! Still congested, woozy and weak but I forced myself to eat so I can take some more meds that I don’t think was really helping me so I resorted to drinking more ginger juice. I was drinking a cup of hot ginger juice every couple of hours all throughout the

day and before going to bed and of course I continued taking the meds as well and I must say that right at this moment as I am writing this…is the first time I’ve felt at least 75% healthy in the last 5 1/2 days! Hallelujah! I’m still a little congested but with less coughing, sniffing, sneezing and no more woozy feeling (only when I move really fast).  So anyway, I think what really helped me is the ginger juice and I am SO glad that I like how it tastes too! I remember when I was little that my Grandma would make me drink some ginger juice or in Tagalog (Filipino language) salabat when I have a sore throat and when I used to join a singing contest as it helps relax your vocal chords. I got curious and wanted to find out more about the health benefits of ginger juice and I was surprised to find out how healthy this spicy, pungent root is!

Below is the nutritional information and facts about ginger:

Ginger

Nutrition Information And Facts

The health benefits of ginger are endless.
They have properties rich in anti-oxidant,
anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer;
providing natural remedy for numerous disorders.

Ginger is classified as a herb which have been widely used as traditional medicine or spice in many cultures

throughout the world.  Ginger is often referred to as a root, but it is actually an underground stem (called rhizome).

The rhizome is branched with small “limbs”.  It has brown skin that is thin if harvested when young, or becomes thick when harvested when it matures.  The color of the flesh varies from pale yellow to white or pink, or even red, depending on the variety.

Young ginger is fragrant, pungent, fleshy and juicy with a mild spicy taste.  Whereas mature ginger is fibrous and almost dry and tends to be spicier than its young counterpart.

Ginger is available in many forms and are used differently in each culture, but here, I will focus on the use of its fresh young juice.  

Nutritional Benefits

Ginger is known to have more than twelve types of anti-oxidants, making it useful for treatment of many disorders.  Like other spices, it has aphrodisiac properties and is used widely for medicinal purposes.

This herb contains essential oils, protein, calcium, phosphorus, iron, vitamin C, choline, folic acid, inositol, manganese, panthotenic acid, silicon, and a small amount of vitamin B3.

Health Benefits

The medicinal uses of ginger is almost endless.  If you can stomach the spiciness, it does wonders in treating many disorders.

Anticoagulant:  Add ginger in most of your cooking or add a teaspoonful of fresh ginger juice in your beverages to enjoy the anticoagulant properties of ginger.  It helps make blood platelets less sticky which in turn reduces your risk of atherosclerosis.

Aphrodisiac effect:  A natural aphrodisiac, this might be the better substitute to viagra!  Drink hot ginger tea (by mixing ginger juice, hot water and raw honey) after a not-too-heavy meal and see it work!

Cold: Cut up a small piece of ginger and boil it with a small cup of pure drinking water.  Add some green tea leaves if you wish.  Strain and drink when hot.  Effective if you also have fever resulting from the cold. You may also drink this concoction if you feel a cold coming.

Cough:  Drink ginger juice with raw honey three to four times a day for a bad throat.  It is soothing and helps clear up phlegm.

Digestive disorder:  Mix a teaspoonful of fresh ginger juice with one teaspoonful each of fresh lime juice and fresh mint juice with some honey to taste in a glass of water.  Drink to relieve heartburn, indigestion, nausea and vomiting.  Especially helpful after a big meaty meal.

Fatigue:  Slice a piece of ginger into disks and boil it with a big glass of water.  Add a piece of cinnamon bark, bring to boil and then cover it for about half an hour till it turns to golden color.  Drink it to relieve fatigue when recovering from fever.  It also relieves muscle pain and soreness.

Flatulence/wind:  Pound a piece of fresh ginger and boil with a cup of water and add a little honey to taste.  Drink it twice a day to let off the wind trapped in the intestinal tract.

Impotency:  Believe it or not!  Mix a teaspoonful of fresh ginger juice to a half-boiled egg and a teaspoonful of honey. Take this concoction on an empty stomach, every night for a month.  It helps to counter impotency, premature ejaculation and increase sperm count.  (Not proven but worth trying!)

Inflammations:  The anti-inflammatory (gingerols) and anti-oxidant properties in ginger help relieve various inflammatory disorders like gout, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis.  It provides substantial relief in pain caused by inflammation and help decrease swelling and morning stiffness.

Menstruation disorders: Pound a piece of fresh ginger and boil with a cup of water and add a little honey to taste.  Drink it hot two or three times a day for a month.  The pain-relieving and anti-cramping compounds in ginger effectively help relieve painful menstruation cramps (dysmenorrhoea).  In the absence of menstruation in women in the reproductive age (amenorrhoea), this concoction can also help induce menstruation.

Morning sickness: A teaspoonful of fresh ginger juice with some honey will also help alleviate morning sickness, sea or motion sickness, dizziness and even nausea caused by chemotherapy or anesthesia.

Pain killer: Ginger juice makes an excellent pain killer, even when applied externally.  In headache, apply ginger juice to the forehead.  With toothache, apply it to the external area either on the cheek or jaw area.

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