Morning sickness: rocking the day with a cup of ginger tea

Ginger is the only non-pharmacologic intervention that the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommends for treating morning sickness during pregnancy. Hot water brewed with either powdered or fresh ginger root several times a day has been proven to significantly reduce nausea and malaise. The science behind the ginger’s power lies in the stimulating effect it has on the gastrointestinal tract, where it helps movement and encourages the flow of saliva, bile, and gastric secretions. According to the United States Departmnet of Agriculture (USDA), ginger is also a good source of vitamin B3 and B6, manganese, magnesium, potassium, and copper.

While some people worry about the safety of ginger during pregnancy, the medical consensus states that the maximum recommended daily dose of fresh ginger is 20 grams (4 grated tsp), more than that may act as a uterine-stimulant. Now, if you want to verify this claims yourself, try this ginger tea recipe:

Ingredients:
1 to 1 ½ teaspoons of grated fresh ginger (skin scraped-off)
OR
½ to 1⁄3 teaspoons of powdered ginger
1 ½ cups of boiling water
1-2 teaspoons of maple syrup
lemon

Directions:
– Put the ginger into a large glass measuring cup.
– Fill it up to the 1.5 cup line with boiling water, and let brew for 10 minutes.
– At the 10-min mark, strain the contents into a mug or heat-proof container, and add a teaspoon or two of maple syrup to sweeten.

You can duplicate or triplicate this recipe if you want and store it for up to 24 hours in the fridge, that way you could try it as an iced tea with a couple of lemon wedges!