Ginger

For thousands of years, ginger has been used in culinary and traditional medicine. Ginger's digestive enzymes may be responsible for some of its outstanding health effects. Ginger includes the protease zingibain, which breaks down proteins into their constituent parts. Commercially, zingibain is used to produce ginger milk curd, a favorite Chinese delicacy. It is not commonly used to tenderize meats, unlike other proteases, due to its short shelf life. Indigestion is frequently assumed to be caused by food remaining in the stomach for an extended period of time.

Ginger promoted contractions in healthy people and those with dyspepsia, allowing food to flow quickly through the stomach. Spices, including ginger, have also been demonstrated in animal experiments to assist and stimulate the body's natural synthesis of digestive enzymes such as amylases and lipases. In addition, ginger appears to be an effective therapy for nausea and vomiting.