Ginger Oil Remedy

I learned about Ginger Oil / Compresses is my Macrobiotic courses on Foods & Healing.  It is a very powerful remedy that brings heat to the body.  Since adults with brachial plexus injuries have issues as they age with cold and with arthritis, I thought this might be a helpful remedy for them to know about.  Please be sure to read the health warning/risks/ and contraindications list toward the bottom.

ITEM ONE:    Get this kind of cheese grater.  The dollar store has them usually.  The holes on this grater are the kind that in a bigger format you would use to grate cabbage for coleslaw.

ITEM TWO:  Buy a piece of fresh ginger.  A good fresh piece can be compared to potato.  You know when a potato is too old - ginger will feel and look the same way.  This one in the picture on the left is still a good piece but you can see that it is beginning to shrivel a little.  If it was truly on it's way out the thick end would still be hard but that little finger would be completely shriveled.  

ITEM THREE:  Buy some regular sesame oil which will be yellow in color.  Do NOT buy the brown sesame oil - this is toasted sesame oil and it has a VERY strong smell - not recommended for using on the body unless you like smelling like a chinese restaurant.  Here is a picture of a bottle of sesame oil just so you can see the color of what the oil should look like.

ITEMS FOUR AND FIVE:  Have ready a soup/cereal bowl and a bottle with cap similar to the good seasonings bottles that they sell.

THE PROCESS FOR GINGER OIL PRODUCTION:

• Cut a one inch piece of ginger - do not peel -  just grate it into the bowl.   This should be a very fast process - seconds.
• Grab the mound of ginger pulp in your clean hand and squeeze out the juice into the bowl.  Remove any bits of ginger you might find or you can strain it through a cheesecloth if you want to get fancy about it.
• Put some oil into the bottle and put the juice into the bottle.  Don't make too much mixture at one time because fresh ginger juice won't last very long.  You would rather make a tiny bit that will be used each day.   You'll figure out the exact quantities in a short time.
• Shake and apply as fresh as possible.    Cover and store in refrigerator.

GINGER COMPRESS:

• Make a cup of boiling water as you would for a cup of tea.  Let it cool down enough so that you could put your finger in it. 
• Add a tablespoon or more (or less) of fresh ginger juice.

• Dip a wash cloth into the hot water, ring out and place on the area of tenderness (shoulder, stomach, joint, etc.).

• You can either redip the wash cloth often OR you can place a hot water bottle (no too too hot) on top of the washcloth which is sitting on the area you are treating.

• 20 minutes is maximum for this compress treatment.

HEALTH WARNINGS, RISKS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS

Allergies:  Both ginger and sesame oil can be highly allergic substances to certain people.  Do an allergy test by applying to one small spot on the arm and see if there's as reaction before applying it to a larger area.

Pregnancy/Nursing/Children:  Never use ginger oil or ginger compress if you are pregnant or nursing.  Do not use on infants under the age of one year old and be very careful with its use on children under the age of five years old.  Ginger is very potent - so in making a bottle of ginger oil for a young one, use the ginger very sparingly.  A little goes a long way with a child.

High Blood Pressure/Serious Illness/Malignancies/Tumors/or any condition that reacts poorly to heat:  Do not use ginger oil or compresses with these conditions.

Head/Neck/Face/Mucous Membranes/Open Wounds-Rashes-Incisions:  NEVER apply ginger oil or compresses to these areas.

OTHER USES FOR GINGER JUICE:

• Put the leftover juice in a hot bath for yourself!
• Put a 1/2 tsp in a cup of herbal tea - will really warm you up.  Boy oh boy is it spicy!!
• Put in some stir-fry.
• Use to spice a vinaigrette salad dressing.
• Here's a neat recipe for a marinade:  1/2 cup key lime juice, 1/4 cup ginger juice, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup sesame oil, sesame seeds - use as a marinade.

Sesame Oil Factoids

The Golden Oil Of Life

• A central part of the Middle-Eastern diet for centuries, the sesame seed has been used for cooking and beauty / body care. The oil that is pressed from this small seed is rich and golden in color with a delicious nutty taste.  
• For most people in North America two foods come to mind when one thinks of sesame: HALVAH, the middle eastern sweet and of course TAHINI, the sesame butter paste that is used in such dishes as BABA GANOUJ (made with eggplant) and HUMMOUS (made with chick peas.)
• Many followers of the macrobiotic lifestyle use sesame oil for stir-frying vegetables in a wok, and for Japanese-style salads.
• In Ayur-Veda sesame oil is considered on of the primary oils used for health and healing.
• Sesame oil is used for massage and has countless therapeutic benefits
• Because of its lecithin content it helps brain cells and nerves, is recommended to alleviate depression and fatigue, for rejuvenation, and to increase energy.
• In terms of body care sesame oil is used to protect and beautify the skin, and for whole body massage. A simple and effective Ayur-Vedic treatment for insomnia is to massage the soles of the feet with sesame oil before bed for a calm and restful sleep.

Ginger Factoids

Today, ginger is used to treat nausea, whether caused by motion sickness, morning sickness of pregnancy, or chemotherapy.  It is available as capsules and tablets, or in the form of ginger beer or other ginger confections.  A word of caution, though - if you use ginger beer, etc. for nausea, make sure it contains actual ginger and not an artificial flavoring agent.

Since ginger is also used to promote menstruation, some caution should be exercises in its use during pregnancy.  However, it is safe for most mothers.  The dose to trigger menstruation is 20-28 grams.  A glass of ginger beer contains about 1 gram, while a highly spiced dish might contain 500 mg.  So there is a wide margin of safety.  But women with a history of miscarriage may not want to take this risk.

In modern herbal terms, ginger is antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory.  This makes it useful for digestive troubles and menstrual cramps, and inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.  Tablets and compounds of ginger are now prescribed for these inflammatory conditions. Ginger also lowers blood pressure and helps prevent internal blood clots, making it useful in heart disease. Chinese studies show that if helps kill the influenza virus, and Indian research suggests that it boosts the immune system's ability to fight infection. These findings support its traditional use in colds and flu, as well as rheumatism and arthritis.