Is turmeric ginger?

Speaking of ginger, everyone should be familiar with it. Ginger is used in many dishes we make in our daily lives. Ginger, turmeric, Jerusalem artichoke, etc. are very similar in appearance, especially the first two. Many people don’t know much about them and may wonder: Is turmeric ginger? To clarify the relationship between the two, we need to understand as much as possible.

Turmeric is not ginger. Turmeric, also known as yellow ginger, tastes bitter and warm in nature, and enters the spleen and liver meridians. It originates from East Asia and Southeast Asia, and the products produced in this region are of the best quality. Medical research shows that the main active ingredient in turmeric is "curcumin". Curcumin is a water-insoluble polyphenol compound with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antifungal and antitumor pharmacological activities.

Turmeric is golden in color and has a spicy taste. It can be divided into two types: dry and fresh. The dry one is ground into turmeric powder, which is most commonly used to make curry stew, fried rice or as a deodorizer for marinated meat. It can also be added to tea and coffee to enhance flavor. Fresh turmeric can be cut into blocks and cooked into soup, which has a special fragrance and is very charming. It should be noted that although turmeric is not spicy, it can be pungent. If used directly in cooking, you must pay close attention to the amount used to avoid causing harm to the human body.

Differences between Turmeric and Ginger:

1. Appearance

Turmeric is yellowish in color and has a long strip shape, while ginger has a light yellowish skin and an irregular shape. Therefore, the two are easy to distinguish in appearance.

2. Efficacy

Turmeric: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that turmeric is sweet, bitter and cool in nature. It has the functions of clearing the lungs and relieving cough, promoting dampness and relieving stranguria, unblocking meridians and relieving pain, detoxifying and reducing swelling. It can treat lung heat cough, damp-heat stranguria pain, rheumatic low back pain, carbuncle, ulcer, sprains, bee stings and insect bites. It also has the effects of treating acute suppurative skin infections, soft tissue injuries, and lowering blood lipids. It also has pharmacological effects such as lowering cholesterol, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor.

Ginger: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that ginger can warm the middle and stop vomiting, relieve exterior symptoms and dispel cold. Ginger also contains phytoncide, which has the same antibacterial effect as onion and garlic. Gingerol in ginger can stimulate the secretion of gastric juice and promote digestion. It also contains a lot of volatile oils, which can inhibit the body's absorption of cholesterol and prevent the accumulation of cholesterol in the liver and serum.