Two recent studies show that eating ginger after you work out can ease muscles soreness the following day. Ginger contains anti-inflammatory compounds and volatile oils called gingerols that have been shown to have analgesic and sedative effects in animals. Researchers have now examined the effects in humans.
One study gave examined participants who did exercises designed to cause muscle pain over 11 days. Some of the participants where given raw ginger supplements, some heat-treated ginger supplements, and some a placebo. Both groups taking the ginger supplements reported less muscle pain. They conclude, “This study demonstrates that daily consumption of raw and heat-treated ginger resulted in moderate-to-large reductions in muscle pain following exercise-induced muscle injury.”
In the second study, participants were given two grams of ginger either 24 hours or 48 hours after strenuous exercises. While the ginger seems to have no pain-relieve properties shortly after being eaten, the group who took ginger with 24 hours of their workout also reported less pain the following day. Other studies have suggested that consuming ginger before exercise does not have these benefits.
Via The New York Times.
Try one of these recipes to incorporate more ginger into your diet: