If someone asks you to think of ginger, you might picture the pickled ginger that comes on your sushi plate at restaurants, or you might think about gingersnaps or ginger ale.
The distinctive flavour of ginger gives it a “kick” that is unmistakable. In fact, ginger also has a metaphysical “kick” that can take your spells and rituals to new levels.
In this post, we will explore one of the most important magical herbs, ginger. We will also go over household uses for ginger and tell you a little bit about growing ginger in your own magical garden.
Ginger Magical Properties
The best way to understand ginger’s spiritual energy is just to eat some ginger. Describing ginger’s flavour is a bit of a challenge.
There is a pungent sweetness to it but also a fiery spiciness. But most notably, ginger is warm. This is not just our perception; it is a real physiological effect.
When you use ginger in your rituals, you are applying that same heat to your spells. You are energizing your intent.
○ Use Ginger to Heighten Your Energy
One of the hardest (though also most fun) parts of magick is trying to get a build-up of energy going into spell-casting.
Everyone does this differently. Some people sing or dance, others chant, and still, others might listen to music or take ritual steps of preparation.
One of the fastest and easiest ways to increase your energy before casting a spell is just to eat some ginger.
As you taste its spicy kick and feel its warmth going down your throat, you will feel your inner power activating.
Sometimes that is all you need to enter the right state of mind for effective magickal work.
○ Enhance the Magical Properties of Other Herbs
Another great thing about ginger is that it can not only enhance your power, but it can also boost the power of other herbs you are using.
Here are a few ways you can use ginger to make your other herbs more potent:
- Add ginger to a smoke wand or smudge stick that contains other herbs.
- Add ginger essential oil to other essential oils and use them to anoint a candle.
- Burn incense that contains ginger and other herbs.
- Cook with ginger and other magical herbs and spices together.
- Make a sachet that contains ginger along with other herbs.
Ginger’s quickening effect can not only make your herbs and spells more powerful and effective but also help you pick up the pace.
Say you have an urgent need to find a new job. Using ginger is a great way to speed your wishes out into the Universe, putting your magick to work as quickly as possible.
○ Ginger Has Healing Powers
Ginger has a lot of health-enhancing properties, which we will discuss later on in this post. Because of its longstanding reputation as a curative agent, magical practitioners often use it in spells for healing.
Here is how you can cast a simple healing spell with ginger:
- Visualize the sick or injured person you want to help.
- Put a piece of ginger in your mouth. As you chew, imagine the heat represents their sickness or injury.
- The heat in your mouth should soon die down. As it does, picture the sickness or injury has burned itself out.
- Spit the ginger out. Imagine you have spat out the sickness, expelling it from the body of the person you want to cure.
Of course, this spell does not replace the need for professional medical care. But it can help bring healing energy to someone you care about.
○ Attract Abundance With Ginger
Previously, we gave an example of using ginger to speed along a spell to find a job. This is actually an ideal use for ginger because of its association with prosperity and abundance.
You can use ginger for money spells by itself or in combination with herbs like calendula and mint.
If you have some dried ginger, you can include it with those herbs in a little sachet you carry in your pocket or purse alongside your wallet.
○ Summon Love and Passion Using Ginger
Along with its power to attract money, ginger also can attract wealth in terms of relationships.
Specifically, ginger can bring fiery, passionate relationships into your life. Casting a love spell can be as simple as anointing a candle in ginger oil, lighting it, and visualizing yourself with the one you want to be with while repeating a chant.
Maybe you already have a relationship with someone you love, but the passion has gone out of it. If you want to reignite the flames, ginger can help you do it.
The simplest way to cast this type of spell is to prepare a meal to share with your loved one with ginger in it.
Healing Properties and Household Uses of Ginger
Along with its impressive magical properties, ginger can be useful in the kitchen and bathroom. It also is famous for its healing properties.
○ Ginger’s Multitude of Medicinal Properties
Ginger contains an antioxidant compound called gingerol. While fighting oxidative stress, this compound also can reduce inflammation.
Researchers also have discovered many other ways ginger can benefit health.
Some of these include reducing morning sickness and nausea, promoting weight loss, decreasing risk factors for heart disease, reducing cholesterol and blood sugar, fighting indigestion, boosting cognitive health, fighting infections, and reducing pain associated with menstruation.
No wonder health practitioners over the centuries have viewed ginger as a cure-all. It truly has an astonishing range of health benefits.
○ Ginger Benefits for Skin and Hair
If you want to refresh your appearance, you may want to add ginger to your beauty regimen.
If you have areas of uneven pigmentation or scars on your skin, the gingerol in ginger may help you decrease their appearance.
If you apply ginger to your scalp, you can also increase circulation. This will help bring nutrients to your hair follicles, which in turn may enhance the appearance of your hair.
Applying ginger to your skin or hair is as easy as adding a few drops of essential oil to your favourite personal care products.
○ Add Some Zest to Your Recipes
Ginger tastes delicious in so many recipes. Try incorporating it into soups, rice dishes, hummus, dressings, curries, stir fry dishes, desserts, and beverages.
Spices that accompany ginger well include cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, fennel, coriander, cardamom, lemongrass, mustard, and more.
Many people also enjoy just slicing up fresh ginger and eating it as it is! It can make for a refreshing and energizing snack.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ginger
To wrap up our guide to the magical benefits of ginger, let’s answer a few frequently asked questions about growing, harvesting and storing it.
How do you grow ginger?
Sun in the morning and shade in the afternoon are best for ginger. Plant it in a rich, loamy soil. This plant loves moisture and will need water every day during the growing season.
How do you harvest ginger?
If you want to harvest ginger from your garden, you have to dig it up since the part of the plant you eat is underground.
When you do, you should find rhizomes that can provide you with new ginger plants. Plan on putting those in the ground right away so they can grow.
Do you need to refrigerate ginger?
Yes. To keep your ginger fresh, you should store it in the fridge. Put it in a sealed container or bag, preferably whole and uncut.
If you are storing dried ginger, you just need to seal it in a container. You can keep it anywhere.
How do you dry ginger?
To dry ginger, you will first have to cut off the skin and then slice it up. The thinner you can get each ginger slice, the faster and easier it will be to dry them.
Put the ginger in a dehydrator, oven or microwave to dry them out quickly. If you are willing to wait a few days, put them in a warm, dry location where they can air dry.
