8. Antioxidant
As is often said with all things in the plant kingdom, the whole is more than the sum of its parts. Ginger is no exception. When scientists separated the rhizome into its liquid and solid parts, the most powerful antioxidants in ginger were found to be in the fluid.
The solid residue, a white pasty substance, was found to have virtually no antioxidant activity. Logically, it would seem that the liquid is responsible for much of ginger’s power in this department. However, when the liquid and solid were combined, the antioxidant potency of the liquid more than doubled.
These results highlight the importance of a holistic approach to the use of plants, where extractions are not always the most beneficial.