How to Make Ginger Shots as a Powerful Tool for Your Health

Lately I have been OBSESSED with all things ginger but especially since a good friend of mine shared that she drinks at least 1 cup of ginger tea everyday for her digestion. For years I’ve put ginger in my soups and utilized a ginger tincture every now, but once I looked into the powerhouse that is ginger root, I consume it every-single-day! This blog is going to tell you why you should too, especially during colder months, if you aren’t feeling well, or if you’re trying to fire up that metabolism. It’s cheap, accessible, and one of those kitchen medicine tools we probably already have in our pantry that packs a big punch when it comes to health benefits and medicinal properties. At the bottom of this page I share my favorite Ginger Shot Recipe including what I do with the pulp after so that no scraps are left behind!

What are the Health Benefits of Ginger?

Let’s start with what is ginger!? Ginger also called Zingiber Officinale, is a type of plant stem, that grows underground hence “ginger root” (Ayustaningwarno et al., 2024). Ginger is used as both a spice and a traditional medicine worldwide, but in this context I will be referencing ginger for the health benefits it provides over the taste brings to food. However, you should know that I add ginger to most of my teas, soups, stir fries, and rice!

Ginger and Inflammation

“Several studies have found that ginger has been shown to have potential as a natural immunomodulator through both antioxidant and anti-inflammation properties… so that it can prevent oxidative stress and inflammation” (Ayustaningwarno et al., 2024). Immunomodulation essentially means to either adjust, regulating or normalize the body’s immune response, depending on the stimulus or threat- so ginger is able to help the body better respond to stressors, infection, etc. more appropriately, causing less damage to the body.

In an analysis of 13 trials looking at over 1000 individuals, ginger was demonstrated to be able to reduce ones sensitivity to pain, reduce inflammation and be reasonably safe for the treatment of osteoarthritis- showcasing how powerful this plant medicine really is (Kiyama, R., 2020). Bioactive compounds in ginger are able to improve oxidative stress tolerance by eliminating Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS-chemicals that can damage your DNA) and lowering oxidative stress parameters, increasing antioxidant enzymes, and increasing antioxidant capacity. Antioxidants protect your body’s cells from damage thereby helping to prevent chronic disease, cancer, autoimmune conditions, etc. Oral ginger supplementation was also reported to be effective for menstrual pain as concluded by a systematic review of 29 articles looking at menstrual pain and administering 750-2000mg ginger powder supplementation daily for the first 3-4 days of a woman’s cycle (Kiyama, R., 2020).

Basically- ginger is your inflammation’s worst nightmare! You can take ginger via capsule, tincture, oil, powder or eat raw ginger in veggie and meat dishes, put a few pieces into your tea or make a ginger mocktail, the ideas are endless because ginger goes well with so many things! I’ll warn you—ginger has a very strong flavor, almost like a sharper, spicier version of lemon, and even its smell can wake you up. But those same strong, pungent compounds are what give ginger so many of its health benefits. They help reduce inflammation and support healthier immune responses, which can lead to less puffiness, less fatigue, and an overall more refreshed and better version of you.

Why is Chronic Inflammation Harmful?

Chronic inflammation is a long-lasting, low-grade immune response that can gradually damage healthy tissues, cells, and organs. Over time, this can lead to tissue scarring, oxidative stress, and DNA damage — which are all linked to an increased risk for various chronic diseases and autoimmune conditions.

When the body is in a prolonged inflammatory state, it can also keep the sympathetic nervous system (the “fight or flight” branch) more activated than it should be. This heightened stress response makes it harder for the body to fully repair and recover, because healing processes occur most effectively when the parasympathetic nervous system — the “rest and digest” mode — is active. Think about it like this- if your body doesn’t feel safe (fight or flight) it has no reason to heal, because in warrior mode it is trying to protect your body from foreign invaders, even if there are none.

This is why nervous-system regulation is discussed so much in the context of health. Practices that reduce chronic stress, help process emotions, and promote parasympathetic activation can positively influence inflammation levels and overall wellbeing. While stress management alone cannot cure autoimmune conditions, it can meaningfully improve symptoms, flares, and quality of life, because the immune system and nervous system are deeply interconnected.

What Causes Inflammation?

I plan to give this topic its own post because it really deserves the spotlight, but here’s the big-picture: our bodies interact with so many things throughout the day that can contribute to inflammation — through what we eat, breathe, apply to our skin, or come into contact with.

Environmental pollutants in the air and water, cigarette smoke, excessive alcohol, highly processed foods, and diets high in added sugars are all known to increase inflammatory load. Even a lot of personal care products and household items (cleaners, candles, room sprays, etc.) can contain ingredients that irritate the skin, disrupt hormones, or add to our overall chemical exposure, depending on their formulation.

And it’s not just external chemicals — lifestyle factors matter too. Chronic stress, poor sleep, limited movement, low nutrient intake, and lack of sunlight can all push the body toward a more inflammatory state.

When you take a step back, it can feel overwhelming to realize how many parts of modern life don’t prioritize real food, clean water, clean ingredients, daily movement, and stress management- sometimes it can be super overwhelming if I’m being honest!

BUT remember- the cool thing is that you can lower your inflammation, one step at a time. There is hope. Our bodies were meant to handle a little stress here and there- we are resilient! And by leaning on ginger, you can use something you probably already have in the pantry as a tool to reduce that toxic burden and inflammatory load your body is likely struggling with. One cup of ginger tea at a time. To be very transparent- I am not immune to inflammation either. It is something I work on regularly to reduce, and at times I struggle with my diet or wanting to use unhealthy habits to cope with stress versus exercise or meditation. This isn’t about being perfect, it’s about slowly getting better one day at a time.

Ginger and Your Gut

Ginger has been used for gastroesphageal reflux, stomach concerns like nausea, gas and constipation because it is gastroprotective (protects your stomach) and assists your metabolism and digestion by speeding up gastric emptying (basically helps to get your food out of your stomach faster). Ginger has been shown to significantly improve the HbA1c level in patients with diabetes (essentially a level that tests patients average blood sugar levels over the last 3 months). Ginger supplementation has also been shown to improve insulin resistance, improve fasting glucose, increase HDL cholesterol, reduce total cholesterol levels (essentially increasing the good cholesterol and decreasing the bad), and has actually been used as an adjuvant therapy for people with Type 2 Diabetes and metabolic syndrome (Kiyama, R., 2020). This means that if you are someone who struggles at all with things like PCOS, insulin resistance, weight gain, blood sugar regulation issues, hormonal imbalance, etc. you could benefit from utilizing ginger as a tool in your wellness toolkit.

How to Use Ginger Everyday

Now that we’ve talked about the benefits of ginger, let’s talk about everyday application. A good rule of thumb is to have around 1 tsp (or a 1 inch chunk) of raw ginger daily for maximum health benefits. Ideally you don’t want to consume more than 4,000mg (4g) of ginger because too much can cause heartburn or stomach upset in some people. High doses can also interact with blood pressure and blood thinner medication, so if you’re wanting to better your health and are on either one of those medications- consult with your doctor first before consuming regularly.

As stated above my favorite ways to incorporate ginger into my daily life are to drink it in tea- I cut up 1 small chunk and put it at the bottom of my tea while it steeps, then take it out before drinking. Or adding fresh ginger to soups, salads, dressings, meat and veggie dishes, making a ginger beer mocktail, etc. but if you want a way to consume your ginger straight from the source, and don’t mind a little heat, I’d highly recommend making Ginger Shots! Ginger shots are super easy, can be batch-prepped ahead of time, and don’t require much work. See my recipe below for details!

Ginger Shot Recipe

For this recipe, all you need is a few pieces of fresh ginger from the store (I grabbed 5 for this recipe), some filtered water, either a loose leaf tea strainer or cheese cloth, a bowl or glass mason jar, and a blender.

Instructions

Wash your ginger thoroughly, making sure to scrub off any loose dirt.
Inspect your ginger, and with a knife cut off large knobs from the main piece (knobs meaning the ends of the ginger) and remove any tough external skin from the knobs or the main pieces. If your ginger is organic, you can eat it with the skin on for more nutrients. The remaining skin on your ginger should be smooth feeling and not hard. If your ginger is not organic you can either wash it with a fruit/veggie wash or trim off the skin (pesticides/insecticides usually seep into the skin, and we don’t want to eat those!). Make sure to trim any moldy pieces and when you cut into your ginger it should be a bright off white or yellow color. If your ginger has any dark spots, remove those and don’t eat it. If it’s a little gray that is typically safe to eat, but personally I cut those spots off.
After inspecting your ginger, removing hard skin, and separating the knobs from the main piece, throw all pieces into your blender. Cover the ginger pieces with water until the water is just above the line of the ginger.
Blend the water ginger mixture on high until fully combined.
Take your loose leaf tea strainer and put it at the top of a large mason jar, pour the ginger water mixture over the top of the tea strainer, catching the ginger pulp and separating it from the ginger juice. You could also do this in a bowl with a cheese cloth- pouring the mixture over a cheese cloth, catching the pulp that way, and squeezing the juice into a bowl. There’s no right or wrong way, you just want to separate the pulp from the juice.
Next, we are going to store the juice! I pour my juice from the mason jar into silicone cubes, filling the cubes halfway with ginger juice and the other half of the cube with water- essentially diluting the ginger juice by half. I put my silicone molds into the freezer and each day I pull out 1 cube, heating it up with boiling water and drinking it straight like that. You could also store these cubes in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you don’t have a silicone mold, you can use a Tupperware container or plastic bag.
Once you have your juice stored, don’t forget about the pulp! The pulp is great to add to oatmeal, homemade granola, stir fries, meat/veggie dishes or you could scoop out 1 tsp and separate each tsp into another silicone mold, to freeze and use at a later time (that’s what I do). See below for pictures and I hope you give this a try! It’s a great way to prevent food waste, and have ginger for future use right at your fingertips!

Sources

Ayustaningwarno, F., Anjani, G., Ayu, A. M., & Fogliano, V. (2024). A critical review of Ginger’s (Zingiber officinale) antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulatory activities. Frontiers in Nutrition, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2024.1364836

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2024.1364836/full

Kiyama, R. (2020). Nutritional implications of ginger: Chemistry, biological activities and signaling pathways. The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, 86, 108484. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnutbio.2020.108484

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0955286320305180