When you or your child is achey and miserable with a low grade fever – isn’t it frustrating? It seems like that feeling lasts forever but it’s not bad enough to make you sleep it off.
The kids feel bad enough to complain and be bored but not enter into a healing sleep or keep themselves occupied with quiet activity.
Maybe that’s how you feel too.
I’ve learned a trick to help my kids get better faster and you might be surprised.
Sweat It Out
The ancient concept of a sweat lodge or sauna is a very healing and healthy activity still used by many people. In fact saunas are even gaining popularity for detoxification.
Sweating is a function that your body uses to detoxify. When you are sick, your body is attempting to get rid of whatever is in your body that is causing the problem. Heating you up with fever so you can sweat it out is one option that your body has to try to heal.
I didn’t understand what a fever really was when my kids were young until I discovered that the “old time” family doctors would recommend allowing a fever to do it’s work rather than reducing the fever to make their patient feel better.
What is a fever supposed to do? The way your body fights infection is by turning up the heat. That’s partly why applying heat to a sprain or pulled muscle is recommended.
The way I explain it to my kids is that “A fever is your body trying to burn up and kill off the invaders that are “attacking” you.”
A shorter, higher fever (not too high, though)is much more effective than a low fever.
Using a hot ginger tea or a hot ginger bath can be a very useful remedy.
Jim Furey, clinical herbalist, recommended a ginger tea at our on farm Winter Wellness Workshop Day. It’s called Sweat It Out Tea because it will help elevate your body temperature to activate your blood’s healing power and send more blood around your body to detoxify faster.
Here’s my version of the recipe for Sweat It Out Tea.
My trick
I put my kids in a very warm bath with powdered ginger, give them a hot drink of ginger tea and afterward wrap them warm and put them back to bed to sleep off the fever. When they wake up, they definitely feel better.
If you want to try this you’ll need more thorough instructions. I recommend the book “Be Your Own Doctor” by midwife Rachel Weaver. You’ll soon discover in this book plenty of valuable knowledge that has been lost by previous generations.
Keeping Ginger Longer by Fermenting
If you hate wasting food, you feel the same as I do when I find forgotten ginger in the bottom of my vegetable drawer.
Organic fresh ginger is one of those ingredients that when you need it for a recipe, nothing else will substitute.
Ginger keeps a long time in the refrigerator but inevitably I keep it long enough to shrivel and grow white or bluish mold.
To prevent that I often freeze it in one inch pieces, or grated, but then I have to find it in my freezer and let it thaw before using.
Last summer I realized that if I sliced it and put it in a jar with brine, I could keep it longer, fresher and even add beneficial properties.
Here’s my so simple recipe for Easy Fermented Ginger.
Here’s the last surprise.
Plant Your Ginger – Indoors!
If you’ve kept that ginger a little too long, or you are afraid you won’t use that last remaining section, here’s a no guilt solution.
Plant it in a planting pot indoors and watch it begin to sprout stems and leaves. You’ll have an educational project or a new house plant. Here are step by step instructions on how to plant your leftover ginger.
Eventually, you’ll have your own fresh ginger root to enjoy.
In fact, what could be better than being able to take off just the section of root you need from your own ginger plant and let it keep growing?
In my Friday Farm Video this week I’ll show you my fermented ginger project and give you more tips and tricks for keeping ginger.
Ginger is such an amazing food that certainly qualifies as a “Food as Medicine.” When you use it in your recipes don’t forget about all it’s healing properties.
Ginger as Food & Medicine
- increases circulation
- increases effectiveness of other herbs
- reduces arthritis pain and swelling
- alleviates nausea and vomiting
- eases morning sickness
- enhances digestion
- eases gas
More Uses for Ginger
There are so many more ideas for using ginger. For now you’ll have to look up these ideas yourself.
- make your own ginger beer
- ginger simple syrup
- curry recipes
- kimchi
- fire cider
- ginger honey
- ginger lemon tea
- stir fry sauce
- candied ginger
- ginger molasses cookies
- ginger shrub
But now you know, there’s no excuse to not keep ginger in your house and to use it as often as possible.
As Always…
We support your desire to have a good, healthy way of life and food on your table that supports that goal.
We’ll keep farming for you!
Reuben and Tessa DeMaster
Willow Haven Farm
Disclaimer: Willow Haven Farm and our associates are not medical professionals, and the information provided is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. If you have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. Reliance on any information provided by Willow Haven Farm and our associates is solely at your own risk.
P.S. The On Farm store is open on Saturday to help you stock up on eggs, milk, bread and all your organic favorites.
Open this weekend!
Market Hours: Saturday: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
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