The Power of Ginger

Ginger is a potent blood thinner, which means it’s good for you if you want to take extra steps to prevent blood clots.

Ginger is also a handy natural anti-emetic agent, which means it’s good for dealing with nausea. I used to always bring it along when my kids were younger and we went fishing out on the ocean because it’s great for motion sickness. I’d just cut up pieces of fresh ginger root and boil them.

Clinically, ginger is a great aide for treating the nausea that accompanies certain types of heart attacks—usually those involving the inferior wall of the left ventricle (the part of the heart that is fed by the right coronary artery). During a heart attack, the weakened heart struggles to maintain blood pressure. Stress hormones spike, and patients experience dread, anxiety, and fear—all of which stirs up severe nausea in about half the cases.

I routinely prescribe ginger tea whenever I work in the coronary care unit at my hospital. Patients who are administered codeine or morphine can also develop nausea. Ginger tea generally helps in those cases as well.

If you are dealing with cardiovascular problems and want the benefit of ginger, I encourage you to drink commercial organic ginger tea or make your own from ginger root. Chop the root into small pieces and boil for about five minutes. You can add it to your cardiovascular nutrition program by slicing or grating it to spice up any dish.  Just a little ginger goes a long way toward ensuring your control over your health.

For more information on cardiovascular nutrition, visit www.drsinatra.com.