This warming essential oil is often used for digestive problems, as well as nausea - be that morning sickness or travel upset. It is also of value when treating colds and flu and especially for catarrhal lung conditions and rheumatic pain. It can also be used on the skin to help clear bruises.

Oil properties
Ginger oil can vary in color from pale yellow to a darker amber color and the viscosity also ranges from medium to watery. It is a strong smelling oil - spicy, sharp, warm and with a hint of lemon and pepper, which smells of actual ginger.

Origin of ginger oil
The plant is original from Java Indonesia.
Ginger is a perennial herb and grows to about 3 - 4 feet high with a thick spreading tuberous rhizome. Every year it shoots up a stalk with narrow spear-shaped leaves, as well as white or yellow flowers growing directly from the root.
It has been used as a medicine since very early times and is recorded in both Sanskrit and Chinese texts and is also mentioned in the literature of the ancient Greeks, Romans, and Arabians.
Asian medicine uses dried ginger for stomach problems such as stomach-ache, diarrhea, and nausea. The Chinese also use it to boost the heart and to help with mucus and phlegm.
The name ginger is said to be derived from the Gingi district in India, where tea made from ginger is used for stomach upsets.

Extraction
The oil is extracted by means of steam distillation from the unpeeled or dried, ground-up root ( rhizome) of the plant.

Chemical composition
The essential oil has various chemical constituents including the following: a-pinene, camphene, b-pinene, 1, 8-cineole, linalool, borneol, y-terpineol, nerol, neral, geraniol, geranial, geranyl acetate, b-bisabolene and zingiberene.

Precautions
Ginger oil is non-toxic and non-irritant ( except when used in high concentrations) but could irritate sensitive skins and can also cause photosensitivity.

Uses
Ginger oil is used in the treatment of fractures, rheumatism, arthritis, bruising, carbuncles, nausea, hangovers, travel and sea sickness, colds and flu, catarrh, congestion, coughs, sinusitis, sores on the skin, sore throat, diarrhea, colic, cramps, chills and fever.