DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN WHITE TURMERIC AND GINGER

GINGER is on the left in black nylon, WHITE TURMERIC on the right 

...their nutritional and health benefits 

This morning I harvested a plant in my mini-garden and initially thought it was ginger. Apart from being very expensive,  organically-grown ginger is very scarce - you hardly get such in the market.. 

Since I dont apply chemicals in growing my garden crops, I was excited. But my initial excitement about that was short-lived  - lo and behold the crop I have harvested looking exactly like ginger is not ginger - it is white turmeric.  . 

I use ginger not just to spice food and drinks  but mostly as one of the ingredients   in making my body lotion, bathing soap and other skin care products.  So the white colour of a spice is particularly preferred.

I try to buy organic grown ginger but I hardly get in the narket. But the commonly  known turmeric which is orange coloured is more readily available and sold by organic growers.

When I plant ginger and turmeric in my mini-garden , the turmeric  easily sprout and grow to maturity but the ginger plant would either not sprout or if it does would die at seedling stage. 

I suspect that while sourcing for organic ginger, a seller must have sold white turmeric to me and I just  planted in my garden without checking to confirm it was actually   ginger.

KNOWING THE DIFFERENCE 

To differentiate ginger from turmeric- note that the plants are similar but the ginger leaves are not as wide as the turmeric leaves. The ginger leaves also tend to grow more vertically than turmeric leaves. 

But the.most sure- proof is the harvested crops  -no matter how much the harvested white turmeric looks like ginger,  just sniff  - ginger scent is more spicy-  a pungent or sharp scent - while the white turmeric scent is same as the orange-coloured turmeric.

White turmeric can be used in substituting ginger in cooking or spicing food and in making cosmetics. But if it's not ginger, it's not same as ginger. Use about half the quantity of turmeric you would have used if it's ginger 

According to Health line, ginger and turmeric can have powerful effects on nausea, pain, inflammation, and immune function in the body.

They are both Antioxidant-Rich,  excellent sources of protective compounds, according to Eating Well online. The antioxidants found in ginger may help prevent heart disease and cancer, especially when paired with garlic. 

Turmeric is  said to be even more anti-oxidant rich. If we include these spices regularly in food, they would help prevent terminal diseases like cancer,  heart diseases etc.

But know what? When they are grown or preserved with chemicals, these reduce the potency of the spices and can even introduce carcinogenic  i.e. cancer -causing substances into the body weakening human  and animal health. So, do try to grow  these crops organically. 

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