Louise asked for Elaboration, in short I use ginger in cooking i.e stir fry's curries, sprinkled on porridge etc, it is also possible to make up a Poultice and apply it to Swollen or traumatised areas although I have never done this.
I am no expert but Ginger seems to work for me, I have never suffered from side effects from Ginger, plus the benefits of the root have been known for centuries, unlike NSAID!S where the pitfalls of use are just being realised
There is loads of info to be found on the net but here is a couple of sites for starters
http://www.dedicatedtohealth.com/blog/nutrition-foods/ginger-as-an-anti-inflammatory-using-nutrition-for-pain-by-dr-king-dc-in-pasadena-ca
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=72
I have never mastered code yet so if the above don`t work just cut and paste the addresses below:
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=72
http://www.dedicatedtohealth.com/blog/nutrition-foods/ginger-as-an-anti-inflammatory-using-nutrition-for-pain-by-dr-king-dc-in-pasadena-ca
Good Luck