Ginger beer can help you alleviate nausea, though it’s not the only natural way to do so. People have used ginger root for centuries, due to its effectiveness as an alternative treatment for stomach problems like nausea. Ginger beer may offer some of the same health benefits.
What is Ginger Beer?
Ginger beer is made from fresh or dried ginger, sugar, and lemon juice. Traditionally, people fermented these ingredients with sugar and then added yeast to create an alcoholic ginger beer. In recent years, ginger beer has become more commonly available as a non-alcoholic beverage that relies on carbonation rather than fermentation for its bubbles.
Ginger beer is often described as having a stronger spicier flavor than ginger ale. It is often used as a mixer in drinks such as in the Moscow Mule cocktail but can also be drank on its own. If you are interested in a drink that shares many of the same benefits of a ginger-based ginger beer, you might also want to check out ginger water.
Potential Ginger Beer Benefits
Both fresh ginger and dried ginger contain many vitamins and oils, including gingerol and shogaol. There are several studies that have looked at the positive effects of fresh and dried ginger, but there are no studies on the health benefits of ginger beer.
The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center notes that one of the benefits of fresh and dried ginger is aiding in digestion through production of more saliva and stomach juices.
In addition, some studies show seniority effects for pregnant or morning-sick people who drink non-alcoholic ginger beer, but again that may not be the same as the studies. As a result, you may not experience the many health benefits for drinking your own homemade ginger beer.
Fresh and dried ginger both contain a variety of natural oils, but the two associated with ginger’s health benefits are gingerol and shogaol.In several studies, studies have reported some promising benefits from consuming ginger, but it is not likely that you will experience the many health benefits as found in the studies from drinking ginger beer alone.
The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center recommends that one of the benefits of ginger is to help people digest through increased salivation and stomach juices.
You should also keep in mind that research studies use various forms of ginger, in differing amounts. Though many studies show some promising benefits from drinking fresh or dried ginger beer, it’s not likely that you will experience these same results. As a result, your potential health benefits if they occur they are less than those found in other study.
Ginger Beer Side Effects
Though a lot of research indicates that ginger is potentially good for you, it’s possible that some of its side effects can be harmful to your health. For example, though ginger, like other foodstuffs, benefits heart health, it can also cause side effects by interacting with prescription drugs and preventing your blood from clotting.
An August 2014 review published in Natural Product Communication indicated that ginger should not interact with blood-thinners for short-term use. The researchers want people who use such drugs to avoid long-term use of ginger. It isn’t clear if drinking ginger could have a similar effect on this class of drug.
