Essential ginger oil: effects and correct use

The effects of ginger oil can help with many illnesses and complaints. Find out here how to use this versatile essential oil correctly.

Ginger originally comes from Asia, but the tuber is now available in our supermarkets as a fresh root, as a tea or as a spice. The fact that ginger is so popular is not only due to the trend towards Asian cuisine. The healthy effects of ginger have also been proven many times, which makes it a popular household remedy in all its forms.

The essential oil of ginger, with its stimulating, fresh, slightly lemony scent, is less well known in our country. You can use it not only in cooking, but it is also said to be able to relieve various ailments when applied externally.

Effect of ginger oil when applied externally

Like many other essential oils, ginger oil is said to help with various complaints when applied externally. However, many of the possible uses of ginger oil have not yet been sufficiently scientifically researched and the effectiveness of ginger oil as a home remedy has therefore only been proven in isolated cases. According to the Freiburg University Hospital, modern conventional medicine has only started to research the medical effects of ginger in recent years. However, there are already some promising results.

Just try it out and see whether ginger oil improves your symptoms. However, if you have sensitive skin that tends to become inflamed or red, it can’t hurt to test a small area of ​​skin to see whether your skin is irritated by the spicy substances in ginger before using ginger oil, for example as a massage oil. You should also keep the possible side effects of ginger in mind when using ginger oil.

Ginger oil, applied externally, is said to help with the following complaints:

• Sore muscles
• arthritis
• rheumatism
• nausea
• migraine
• Digestive problems
• mucous airways
• exhaustion
• Lack of motivation

Essential ginger oil for colds

According to the Techniker health insurance company, ginger helps with colds because the spicy substances contained in ginger probably help to reduce inflammation. This could also be a reason why ginger oil in the following forms is considered an old home remedy for colds:

• Preventive measure: If someone in the family or at work has a cold, simply add five drops of essential ginger oil to water in an aroma lamp. Ginger oil is said to help reduce the risk of infection.

• For coughs: For stubborn, mucous coughs, chest wraps with ginger oil are said to have a calming, antispasmodic and expectorant effect. Mix five drops of ginger oil with a tablespoon of sunflower oil and soak a piece of cotton cloth in it. Place the cloth on your chest and place a hot water bottle over it so that the essential ginger oil can take effect. Leave the chest wrap to work for about half an hour. You can also add other oils such as lavender or eucalyptus oil to enhance the effect.

• As a warming foot bath: In winter, you often feel really cold after a day on the sledding hill or a visit to the Christmas market. One way to drive away the inner cold is – in addition to a cup of hot ginger tea – a warming foot bath with five drops of ginger oil. The gingerols contained in ginger are said to promote blood circulation and provide pleasant, lasting warmth.

Relieve muscle tension: compresses, bath additives, massages

• Ginger oil compresses: If you’ve overdone it a little with exercise, painful muscle soreness is often the result. Compresses with ginger oil can help to relieve the symptoms. This is said to be due to the circulation-promoting and pain-relieving properties of the root processed into oil. To make the compress, simply dissolve 20 drops of essential ginger oil in 250 milliliters of lukewarm water and soak a cotton compress with this solution. Then place it on the painful area and leave it to work for 30 minutes.

• Ginger oil as a bath additive: Heat relaxes the muscles and relieves muscle tension in a natural way. A hot bath works wonders after sporting activities. If you add five drops of essential ginger oil to the bath water, you can also prevent muscle soreness or at least relieve the discomfort. To increase the effect, you can also add a few drops of juniper or rosemary oil to the bath. However, you should not bathe in it for longer than 20 minutes.

• Essential ginger oil for massages: Ginger oil promotes blood circulation and warms from the inside when applied externally. If you mix three drops of essential ginger oil with a tablespoon of sunflower oil, this mixture is ideal for massages to relieve tension and sore muscles.

Ginger oil against motion sickness

In its unprocessed form, ginger is also used as a home remedy for nausea – whether raw as a preventative measure, as a candy, capsule or even as ginger tea. A stomach massage with ginger oil can also be beneficial. Simply massage a mixture of five drops of ginger oil and a tablespoon of sunflower oil evenly onto the stomach and let it work. The ginger oil is said to have a relaxing and antispasmodic effect.

If you want to try ginger oil as a home remedy, you can find it in health food stores or on Amazon. Alternatively, you can also make ginger oil yourself.

Attention: You should avoid ginger oil during pregnancy, as ginger in large quantities is said to induce labor and the side effects of ginger during pregnancy have not yet been sufficiently researched.

Read more on Techzle\.com:

• Make your own ginger oil – this is how to prepare it
• 6 herbal home remedies for colds
• DIY: Make your own cold balm

Edited by Freya Petersen

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