THE ULTIMATE HEALTH KICK? WHY GINGER HAS ALL THE BENEFITS YOU NEED

Ginger is as synonymous with MOJU as it is with sunburn, 90s girl bands, and former members of the royal family.

In fact, we love it so much that we press it into nearly all of our flavours – providing the key functional ingredient for the fiery punch you know to expect from a MOJU shot. But why is it we dig nature’s fiercest root so much? Well, to put it simply, the benefits of fresh ginger could provide the hottest ticket to better health.

Here’s why.

You’ll have heard us talk about ginger as ‘nature’s star player’ a lot of the time, and with good reason. When it comes to firing up your body’s daily performance, ginger properties are seriously hard to beat. But why is ginger good for you exactly?

Well, among its many health benefits, our fiery friend has traditionally been used to…

• Support immune health

• Reduce inflammation

• Reduce tiredness

• Help with digestion

• Soothe nausea

• Ease menstrual pain

• … even help with hangovers(!)

Glad you asked. For starters, the easiest way is by grabbing your daily shot of MOJU. Whether you’re into the fearsome thwack of our signature Ginger Shots, or if it’s one of the other fiery blends – Prebiotic, Vitamin C or Vitamin D – that’s more your bag; you’ll get to enjoy the caffeine-free kick of fresh ginger and build those health benefits into your daily routine.

Other simple ways to get more ginger into your diet:

GINGER TEA

Add finely chopped ginger to boiled water and strain after 2-3 minutes for a simple stomach-settling drink. Make it SUPER simple by swapping the root for MOJU.

COOKING

As a versatile ingredient, you can chuck small amounts of ginger where possible in your daily meals or morning smoothies to benefit from its health properties, as well as that punchy flavour.

SUPPLEMENTS

If you want your body to be ginger-rich even when you’re time-poor, there are plenty of capsules and pills that can give you some of those ginger properties… just be aware they attend to be heavily processed and less effective in that form.

HOME-MADE GINGER REMEDIES

Of course, MOJU can deliver your Ginger hit in a shot, but making your own is still always an option! Blend peeled, fresh root with lemon juice, strain and store.

Got time to learn a bit more? Grab yourself a ginger tea and get yourself comfortable: we’re about to go in on the science.

Ginger is a rhizome – a type of fleshy stem that grows underground. Derived from the Ancient Greek word meaning ‘to take root’, this particular rhizome’s been widely used as both a spice and for its traditional health benefits, largely because of the presence of a substances called gingerol. It’s gingerol that gives ginger its punchy flavour and the potency that studies suggest can reduce pain and do its anti-inflammatory thing.

We’re told the secret to a healthy lifestyle is all about balance. And it seems ginger may help when it comes to regulating your immune system too, as MOJU’s Head of Natural Performance, Ross Austen explains. “When it comes to immune markers, you don't want them to be too low as you are open to attack… and you don't want them to be too high as this demonstrates there is something wrong, such as autoimmune disease. Balance is key.”

So, how does it help to strike it? Well, there are a number of papers demonstrating the benefits of Ginger and its active compounds on such immunity and inflammation markers. With illness typically causing inflammation in the body, it makes sense to dampen its effects – so reaping the health benefits could be a smart move for any active lifestyle.

In a recent study we ran with Emma Tester, Lead Performance Nutritionist of the Munster Rugby squad, we were able to see how the inclusion of ginger to a baseline diet helped to moderately improve immunity markers in players over a competitive season.

Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (UTRI) are among the most common illnesses reported in athletes, which can result in missing training days and dips in performance. With its reputation for powerful therapeutic and preventative effects including the ability to decrease inflammation, improve blood lipid profiles and reduce UTRIs; the study looked to investigate the use of MOJU Ginger Shots as a food-first option to support better immune function.

2020’s season obviously faced different challenges from a normal one, with players grouped in bubbles and social distancing reducing exposure to pathogens – but it was also incredibly important to keep players as healthy as possible. In the study, six elite male rugby union players provided blood samples in the 2019/20 competitive season, and again, 11 months later in the 2020/21 competitive season. In that time, players consumed MOJU Ginger Shots on a daily basis, even through the lockdown periods of the COVID pandemic.

The results? A moderate improvement in both WBC (ES 0.89 ± 1.11) and neutrophil count (0.82 ± 1.10)

For those who can’t speak nutritional science, what that basically means is that the study found a positive impact of the daily Ginger Shots on some immune markers. And due to how easy it was to take and how much they enjoyed the way that flavour hit feels, the lead outcome was that Munster Rugby would definitely look to include ginger supplementation in the nutrition toolbox.

It’s not just elite athletes that can benefit when it comes to ginger. As we mentioned earlier, ginger may help to benefit your everyday health in many different ways.

Support immune health

With its awesome levels of natural antioxidants, Ginger may help when it comes to immune health. By helping to lower inflammation¹ in your immune system, it could boost your body’s ability to combat inflammation and keep your immune system healthy.

Reduce inflammation

The potent anti-inflammatory compounds found in fresh-pressed Ginger may help to protect your body from damage by unstable molecules called free radicals. (Remember the gingerols we mentioned earlier? That’s what they do – along with paradols, sesquiterpenes, shogaols, and zingerone, all of which have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.) These could all help your body counter conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory gut disease and asthma.

Reduce tiredness

We describe our Ginger Shots as the caffeine-free kick to keep you on top form – and here’s why. Fresh ginger benefits from being a great natural energy booster, because it’s great for improving blood circulation and balancing blood sugar levels. With ginger on side, you can avoid the crash, and skip straight to the burn.

Help with digestion

Stimulating digestive enzymes that help move food through the body, ginger has been shown to remedy, break down and get rid of gas more effectively.²

Soothe nausea

Ginger is regularly used as a natural treatment for stomach complaints, such as bloating and indigestion, but its compounds are also said to be a way to reduce nausea and vomiting³. It’s believed that’s because gingerol is known for helping food move through the body as well as suppressing muscle spasms – making ginger the easy queasy go-to when you’re feeling a little green.

Ease pain

Ginger can also be a real health benefit when it comes to managing menstrual pain^1,4,5. Once again running to the aid of cramping muscles, ginger helps to suppress the production of chemicals that make the uterus contract, causing pain. Protective and warming, ginger may also help to stimulate blood flow and settle nausea…^3,6 making it a trusted remedy to reach for in event of a hellish hangover.

You’ve nailed the know-how on nature’s hottest health-booster, so it’s probably time to give it a go. Head to our online store to pick up your pack today.