How to Use Ginger to Treat High Cholesterol

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By eHow Contributing Writer

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If your cholesterol is over 200, you should takes steps to lower your numbers. While diet and exercise can treat high cholesterol, consider getting extra help from ginger. Ginger is a commonly used spice found in many dishes all over the world. It adds flavor to food and can help you treat your high cholesterol.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Ginger root

Step 1

Look for whole ginger root that is light brown and knobby in appearance.
Step 2

Store the ginger wrapped in a paper towel and sealed in a plastic bag. Keep this bag in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator.
Step 3

Peel fresh ginger before you use it. Instead of peeling the whole root, only peel the portion that you cut off to use.
Step 4

Look for recipes that call for ginger. Go to Ginger People for Thai, Indian and other fun recipes (see Resources below).
Step 5

Add ginger to a variety of foods to lower your cholesterol. Use ginger that is grated, minced or chopped in homemade ice cream, soups, salads, marinades and vegetable dishes.
Step 6

Take ginger root juice to treat high cholesterol. Insert ginger into your juicer or add the juice to a vegetable-juice cocktail.

Tips & Warnings

Learn more about the varieties of ginger at PCC Natural Markets (see Resources below).
Do not confuse ginger, or ginger root, with ginseng, a plant that grows above ground.
Despite the benefits of ginger, it can have unpleasant side effects, such as bloating, heartburn, burping, gas and nausea. Powdered forms of ginseng can make these effects more pronounced.
Ginger that isn't chewed or broken down properly can block the intestines.
Avoid using ginger as the sole treatment for high cholesterol. Ginger should be used as a supplement to other treatments, such as exercise and diet.
It may be tempting to freeze ginger to keep it from going bad, but freezing it will result in lost flavor.