Quite popular in kitchens and medicine cabinets for thousands of years, the root is soothing and invigorating and its oil diffuses an incomparable fragrance.
What is ginger?
Ginger (Zingiber officinale) is a plant, and although its flowers and leaves are pleasantly fragrant, it is what lies underground that so excites people, from its native lands in East Asia to the rest of the world. Indeed, the juicy ginger root is highly concentrated in fragrance and flavour, and for millennia has been consumed fresh, dried, grated, powdered, honeyed, syruped, candied and whatever else can be done with it.
What are the benefits of ginger in cosmetics?
– Has a unique, sweet but pungent and peppery scent.
– Its warming fragrance is said to alleviate the mood.
– Stimulates the blood flow, reviving the skin and scalp.
– Soothes sore muscles and body aches.
– Has an astringent effect on the skin.
One root to rule them all
Ginger is well-placed in herbalists’ Hall of Fame. It’s been used as a medicine by all civilisations that have been able to grow or purchase it. It was considered by many as the miracle solution to any health issue and was part of many healing concoction recipes. It is still widely used today against nausea and digestive disorders. A notable selling point – somewhat a bit forgotten these days – is that ginger could be an aphrodisiac thanks to its stimulating properties, whether used externally or internally. Modern science hasn’t settled on this subject yet, but, at Lush, we never forget the root when creating our Valentine’s Day range!
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