Ginger essential oil and weight loss
Spicy ginger root is a favorite in traditional medicine and cuisine. It has a long list of benefits, such as a treatment for nausea, indigestion, cough and flu, and has been used for its anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial benefits. Recently, people have been interested in using ginger and its essential oil for weight loss. Is it a great things for everybody? Let’s look at the issue from a temperament perspective.
Ginger and temperament
Ginger is categorized as hot and dry, meaning it will warm up and dry out a person’s elements or humors. People with phlegmatic and melancholic temperaments are most likely to benefit from the extra heat of ginger. If taken by a choleric or sanguine, ginger can be a bit too much. Just like any diet advice, one size will NOT fit all. Let’s talk about why.
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Cool cats
Melancholics and phlegmatics are both cold in temperament - a melancholic is cold and dry; a phlegmatic is cold and wet. Sometimes, these guys need a little boost to get their digestive fires stoked, and particular types of food or essential oils can help them get going. That’s where ginger comes in. Ginger provides some metabolic and humoral heat to these cold types. Their metabolic furnaces can then properly burn excess fat and efficiently handle the food they eat.
Hot stuff
For the intrinsically hot choleric and sanguine, however, ginger can be too much of a good thing. It can overstimulate and cause burnout or irritability, particularly for the choleric. So before reaching for the ginger tea or essential oil, find out whether it is something that will truly be beneficial for you.
Using ginger
Ginger is used often in Asian cuisine. A simple tea of ginger and lemon, with or without honey, is a delicious way to stimulate your metabolism (and your immune system!). If you have ginger essential oil, putting it in your diffuser is perfect for an energy boost. Be careful using it on skin, though, as it can be irritating even when diluted properly.
Want to know more about your temperament and the kind of foods that would be best for you? Get a Temperament Reading!
