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Photo by 戴奕驥 The last few days have been rainy in the bay area, and I got a tad stuffy and congested. So I bought organic ginger at the farmer's market. Not many people know of ginger's wealth of nutritional and medicinal benefits. But in traditional Chinese medicine as well as Ayurvedic, Ginger is present in half of all prescriptions, as its yang (or warmth and energy) is a stimulant that warms the body and boosts circulation. It's stimulating properties also help a slow metabolism speed up, digestive problems, and its nutrients increase immunity to colds and flues. Although it's mostly used to calm the gut, it also helps heal ulcers, sooth menstrual pain, reduce sinusitis and throat soreness, and its anti-inflammatory chemicals, rightly named gingerols, are beneficial to people suffering from conditions such as arthritis and asthma. Some other medicinal uses include thinning the blood, toning the heart, and reducing cholesterol levels