**KNOWLEDGE BANK**
#Ginger is, or should I say, my favourite spice of all! I love ginger and I add loads of it in my cooking from seasonings for meat, fish & chicken to making drinks, for baking etc. I think so far what I haven’t experimented with ginger is in ice-cream and that is definitely on my list, so watch out for it. Ginger has a taste of warmth, aromatic and pungent flavour with a peppery kick to it. Ginger can be consumed fresh, powdered, dried, as ginger oil, as juice or as ginger extract, in tinctures, capsules, and lozenges.

The health benefits of this spice are numerous, some of them are: relieving nausea, loss of appetite, morning sickness (Oh yes, this was my life saver in my first trimester with my second child) and relief from pain. It can also be used as a relief for colic, upset stomach, gas, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), nausea caused by cancer treatment, nausea caused by HIV/AIDS treatment, nausea and vomiting after surgery, as well as loss of appetite. It’s mixed with honey to soothe sore throat, colds and coughs.

Some people pour the fresh juice on their skin to treat burns. The oil made from ginger is sometimes applied to the skin to relieve pain. Ginger extract is also applied to the skin to prevent insect bites.

The health benefits of ginger are just numerous and it’s just the reason why I add loads of it in my cooking. My spice blends are not spared from this spice, it’s definitely in there! In Ghana ginger is called #akakaduro in Twi dialect. What do you call it in your language?