| Ginger promotes health and healing in many ways. According to Ayurvedic and Chinese herbal lore, it strengthens the nervous system, restores sexual energy, strengthens the immune system, helps with bronchial problems, prevents and relieves menstrual cramps, clears the uterus after childbirth, and promotes health recovery (builds strength from long-term illness).
When shopping, select gingerroot that is firm, fresh in appearance, with wrinkle-free skin. Wrinkly, dried-up gingerroot can be woody, tough, stringy, difficult to chop, and unpleasant to chew!
How to Prepare:
Always peel ginger before chopping or slicing (it's OK to leave the skins on for tea). This can be done with a potato peeler (which will take some of the flesh along with it), or by scraping with the edge of a paring knife. I prefer the latter method as virtually none of the ginger is wasted. To chop, slice thinly along the grain. Then cut into thin matchstick-like strips. These can be chopped into the desired length (1/8" for mincing, up to 1-1/2" for curries, etc). Gingerroot also can be successfully chopped with a food processor. Chop with short pulses, being careful not to over process. | 
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