What Exactly Is Ginger... And What Are Its Benefits?
姜到底是什么……它有什么益處？

Ginger is a rhizome in the Zingiberaceae family, and it's related to turmeric, cardamom, and galangal.
姜是姜科中的一種根莖，它與姜黃、小豆蔻、高良姜有親緣關(guān)系。

A rhizome is found underground — but it's actually a stem, not a root!
這種根莖長于地下——但它實際上是一種莖，不是根！

Ginger has been used for centuries to relieve aches, pains, and ailments of all kinds. It can be used as a spice in all kinds of cooking, as well as brewed to make tea.
幾個世紀以來，姜就被用于緩解疼痛以及各種疾病。也可將其添加在各種飯菜中作為香料，而且姜還可以用于泡茶。

Benefit #1: Eases?Nausea
功效一：緩解惡心

Ginger has long been used as a treatment for nausea of all kinds, including sea sickness and the nausea that comes after surgeries and other medical treatments.
長期以來，姜一直被用于緩解各種惡心，包括暈船以及外科手術(shù)和其他醫(yī)學(xué)治療后隨之而來的惡心。

Benefit #2: Aids Digestion
功效二：助消化

Ginger has been shown to speed the stomach's emptying process and make digestion go more smoothly.
研究表明，姜可以加速胃部排空，并使消化更順暢。

Benefit #3: Soothes Achy Muscle
功效三：舒緩肌肉酸痛

Ginger has been shown to be effective in soothing sore muscles, especially from exercise-induced pain.
研究表明，姜可以有效地舒緩肌肉酸痛，尤其是運動引起的酸痛。

Benefit #4: Soothes?Osteoarthritis
功效四：緩解骨關(guān)節(jié)炎

Ginger can also reduce inflammation in joints, such as the inflammation that occurs with osteoarthritis.
姜也可以減輕關(guān)節(jié)炎，如伴隨骨關(guān)節(jié)炎出現(xiàn)的炎癥。

Benefit #5: Lowers Blood Sugar + Boosts Heart Health
功效五：降血糖+有益于心臟健康

A study showed that powdered ginger, taken daily, reduced the blood sugar levels in people with Type II diabetes by 10 percent.
一項研究表明患有II型糖尿病的患者每天服用姜粉，其血糖濃度降低了10%。

It also showed a 23 percent decrease in oxidized lipoproteins, a major factor in heart disease.
研究也表明每天服用姜粉，氧化脂蛋白降低了23%，而氧化脂蛋白是引發(fā)心臟病的主要因素。

However, this is a relatively new discovery, and more studies must be performed before we really know.
然而，這是一個相對較新的發(fā)現(xiàn)，在我們真正了解之前必須進行更多研究。

Benefit #6: Lowers Cholesterol Levels
功效六：降低膽固醇水平

LDL lipoproteins, the "bad" cholesterol, are a risk factor for heart disease, and greatly influenced by what you eat.
低密度脂蛋白，一種“有害的”膽固醇，是引發(fā)心臟病的危險因子，并且受飲食的影響巨大。

But taking 3 grams of ginger powder daily can greatly reduce LDL lipoproteins, says one study.
但是一項研究表明，每天服用3克姜粉可以極大地減少低密度脂蛋白。

Benefit #7: Eases Menstrual Pain
功效七：緩解痛經(jīng)

When taken at the beginning of the cycle, ginger was shown to reduce the cramping pain many women experience while menstruating.
研究表明，在月經(jīng)周期之初服用姜可以緩解許多婦女經(jīng)期時的絞痛。

Benefit #8: Aids Brain Function
功效八：有助于增強腦功能

A study involving middle-aged women showed that taking ginger had a direct effect on the brain and improved their reaction time and memory.
一項針對中年婦女的研究表明服用姜可以直接影響大腦并提高了她們的反應(yīng)能力和記憶力。

Benefit #9: Could Help Fight Cancer
功效九：可以幫助與癌癥抗爭

Some studies suggest that a compound found in raw ginger, 6-gingerol, can greatly reduce the potentially cancer-causing activity in cells.
研究表明，在生姜中發(fā)現(xiàn)的一種化合物，6-姜辣素，可以極大地減少潛在致癌活性細胞。

However, other studies have shown that it has no substantive effect at all.
然而，其他的研究表明姜完全沒有實質(zhì)性效果。

Though the information we have on the relationship between ginger and cancer is limited, it's definitely something worth looking into!
盡管有關(guān)姜和癌癥之間的關(guān)聯(lián)性，我們擁有的信息有限，但這一定是值得研究的課題。

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