who knew ginger could be so sexy?

A good friend of mine inspired me to write this post. In the eight or so years that we’ve known each other, she has been relentless in extolling the healing properties of ginger. And she kicked it up a notch after my diagnosis last year.

When I call her complaining of mild nausea after my chemo sessions, she always gives me the same response. “Chew on some ginger,” she advises, although she’s British, so it sounds more like “jin-ja.” But I’m able to look past her occasional mangling of American English, especially because in this case, she practices what she preaches.

Steeping slivers of ginger in a cup of hot water is my girl’s go-to remedy for indigestion, stomach aches, heartburn, and — most critically — food poisoning. So, naturally, she’s convinced that this pungent rhizome can combat the aftereffects of chemotherapy. “Trust me,” she says. “It will work.”

After years of paying her lip service, I’m declaring, in earnest, that she was right. (That incoming call on my cell is her waiting to tell me she told me so). I wasn’t so much doubtful as I was content to rely on anti-nausea drugs to do the job. I’m not one to suffer through aches or pain, and my instinct is to reach for my prescriptions because they’ve worked pretty well so far.

But I gave the ginger a try, mostly because during my last lecture from the Brit chick, I remembered other conversations I’ve had about this ancient digestive. When I first started treatment, another good friend rolled through with some ginger candies to help fight my upset stomach. One of my doctor friends, tired of hearing me whine, suggested that I walk half a block to our neighborhood co-op and buy some ginger powder to cook with. My former trainer, Ammo St. Phard, told me ginger is full of antioxidants and helps get the blood circulating. “Where would we be without trees and plants?” he asked rhetorically. “We learn in school that plants provide oxygen, but what we don’t learn is the wonders they do for our bodies when we consume them.”

A few weeks back, after my last visit to the chemo suite, I committed to a test tryout. For three days straight, I chewed on fresh ginger until the fibrous flesh lodged stubbornly in my back teeth and burned my tongue. I drank ginger tea until my taste buds, perfumed by the hot, spicy plant, became numb. I blended it in homemade fruit smoothies and boiled it with orange peel, pumpkin spice, and lemon as a form of aromatherapy. It made my apartment smell really yummy.

Yep, I passed on the pills to opt for a natural relief, and then I bought the book Healing Remedies, which is filled with interesting facts about the history of ginger and other plant-based medications.

Did you know that a combination of water, cinnamon, yellow dock root, and sugar is an effective laxative? So is magnesium. I found this out because chemo is notorious for blocking the passages, but no need to delve deeper into that. Nutmeg, which is recommended in small doses because of its hallucinogenic qualities, is a fruit kernel with calming abilities that is used to treat insomnia. Amazingly, it’s also a stimulant that strengthens the heart and dispels flatulence (note to boyfriend).

Grapefruits, which are rich in vitamins A and C and potassium, clean the kidneys, break down fat, and reduce the severity of a hangover. That’s news I could’ve used at the bar the other night when I switched from red wine to tequila (note to self). And I recently visited Karen Rose, master herbalist at Sacred Vibes Apothecary in Brooklyn, N.Y., whose Strong Man Tea contains nettle root, fennel seed, and saw palmetto berry for enhanced male potency.

I could go on about how carrots reportedly curb damage caused by smoking or how marigolds have antiseptic qualities. Penicillin, ephedrine, and chemo drugs such as Taxol are also derived from plants. But the benefits of herbs and plant matter are no news flash. The ancient Egyptians were up on their healing powers.

All I know is that I have a special jar now on top of my refrigerator to hold my ginger. Next up, I’m searching for a plant that lets me eat whatever I want while blocking all the calories. That would be a power plant indeed.