The hype around ginger shots isn't a new phenomenon. They've been around for ages, with many people claiming the benefits around them are life-changing. From improving your overall wellness to soothing your digestive system, I'd constantly been hearing about all the reasons why I should be incorporating them into my daily routine. I'd also recently been feeling quite under the weather, struggling with some kind of nasty flu that had been going around. As someone who hates being ill, I knew that I had to at least give the shots a try to see if they'd help.
Whilst it's very easy to make your own, I've been trying out the Moju Fresh Root Ginger Shots. They came in a 420ml bottle which holds 7 shots in the entire thing, meaning a whole bottle lasts you a week. Containing apple, ginger root (20%), lemon and acerola cherry powder, there are no nasty artificial flavourings or preservatives.
Moju also has multiple ranges of shots, organised into three overall wellness areas. The 'Energy' range includes the Fresh Root Ginger Shots and Fresh Root Tumeric Shots. The 'Immunity' range contains the Hot Mango Immunity Shots and Multi Berry Immunity Shots, and finally, the 'Gut Health' range has the Raspberry Gut Health Shots and Tropic Gut Health Shots. I don't think I've said shots so many times in one sentence - sounds like a usual Friday night at my local.
Moju used to sell the 60ml versions of each shot but have started prioritising the week long 'dosing' bottles due to the brand's belief that shots are most beneficial when incorporated into a daily routine. I quite liked this angle as I agree that practicing wellness should be viewed as a permanent priority, not just for a Monday morning after a heavy weekend.
Keep reading to find out exactly what happened throughout my week of taking ginger shots. As mentioned, I'd never tried them before so I was excited to see what the effects would be, and let me tell you, they're kinda crazy.
Day 1
I won't lie, I absolutely hate the taste of ginger. Unfortunately, it seems to take me back to a rather unpleasant concoction that my granny used to make me whenever I was feeling poorly. It's one of the reasons why I wanted to challenge myself to taking the shots, especially as I'd heard so many good things about them.
I woke up on day one and it was the first thing that popped into my mind. As it's recommended to take a daily ginger shot first thing on an empty stomach, I immediately prepared one as soon as I entered the kitchen. As expected, the taste was horrendous and it did manage to send a shiver down my spine. It started off very gingery and was followed with an overwhelmingly spicy aftertaste - yum. However, I was pleased I'd taken the first step.
One thing I didn't expect was the surge of energy I'd receive. I normally take a little while to wake up in the mornings, something my colleagues would agree with seeing as I don't tend to speak before I've had a coffee. However, the ginger shot seemed to spark something within me and I was ready to take on the day. I loved the way this felt and remember hoping it would be around to stay.
I was still feeling a little fluey at this point so the energy surge helped a lot with getting over that morning grogginess quicker than usual. The shot didn't miraculously cure any symptoms as the day went on, but I'm looking forward to see whether this progresses as the week goes on.
Day 3
By day three, I was fully immersed in including the ginger shot into my morning routine. I'm a firm believer that sticking to a morning routine is the best way to start the day, so this step bought in a nice bit of structure. Even after a few days, I was happy that the surge of energy I'd originally felt hadn't gone away and I was still experiencing it. I had also gotten a little more used to the taste - you'll be pleased to know that the shivers had subsided at this point.
One major difference I'd noticed at this point was that I wasn't as bloated throughout the day as usual. I'm bad at eating breakfast because I hate having that mid-morning bloat, but the shot seemed to completely eradicate this. Ginger is good for relaxing the muscle in your gut lining, therefore aiding in the movement of food and fluids through your digestive system. It was nice to see the benefits of this and meant I was able to have my morning porridge without suffering too much!
I was also feeling a lot better in terms of my flu symptoms, and I do think taking the ginger shot was helping this. I felt more energised, less bunged up and that I was fully ascending back to full health.
Day 7
By the end of the week, I was feeling great. As I poured my last shot, it was strange to look at the empty bottle and think that I'd consumed that much ginger over the week. However, my body was 100% thanking me for it.
One new update to report was to do with my gym recovery. As I focus on weights and aim to increase every few weeks, I often ache the morning after an intense session. Throughout the week, I honestly didn't feel half the pain I usually did and I put this down to the shots. Yes, I was a little sore, but was able to freely move around without even thinking about how my muscles were feeling.
I was also fully clear of any flu symptoms by this point which was wonderful. Looking back, I think the shots definitely sped up the process to getting better, especially as it normally takes me at least a few weeks to feel back to normal.
Results
Overall, I was over the moon with the results from my ginger shot experiment. Not only did it help me get after a nasty bout of flu, I was feeling more energised, less bloated and my post-gym recovery wasn't half as bad. I also think I managed to get over a rather inherent fear of ginger altogether, although I still won't be going anywhere near granny's flu mixture anytime soon.
This one-week trial is also proof that we have to maintain a wellness routine in order to feel the effects, rather than expecting results after one day. A single shot wouldn't have helped at all, but regularly drinking them over the course of a week made a huge difference.
Interested in more? Check out the smoothie recipe that I love to start my day with!
