Have a fever? That’s your body’s intentional defense against hostile bacteria. The bacteria that intends to invade your system is adapted to live at a normal body temperature, around 98 degrees Fahrenheit. So if your body gets hot enough you can kill the invaders. And have a miserable time… Ginger can help along a fever by making you sweat. It encourages secretions and cleansing.
I am drying the velvety leaves of wild ginger in a paper bag to use as tea in the future. With the roots, I cleaned, chopped, and set to soak in vodka to make a tincture. The roots can also be used in recipes in the same way you would use store bought ginger that grows in tropical regions.
I harvested the leaves and roots carefully to insure future harvests. I picked my handful of leaves from four separate patches. Though some damage is unavoidable, while digging up the roots and the lateral rhizomes, I attempted not to kill the plant. This looked like always leaving a few leaves left on a rhizome.
Sources:
- Moore, M. (2001). Medicinal Plants of the Pacific West. Santa Fe: Red Crane Books.
- Deur, Douglas. Pacific Northwest Foraging: 120 wild and flavorful edibles from Alaska blueberries to wild hazelnuts. Portland, Or.: Timber Press, 2014. Print.