Great news! Alcohol might not be as bad as everyone makes it out to be. You’ve probably heard all arguments for alcohol being a poor lifestyle choice. In fact, most bad decisions are often blamed on alcohol. However, there is actually an upside to taking alcohol, especially for some kinds of alcohol. Researchers at Oxford University have discovered that a drink of gin a day might actually be good for your health. That being said, let’s explore the benefits of it below.

What Are the Benefits of Gin?

1. Good for the Joints

Joint pain can drive you up the wall. It’s uncomfortable and makes mobility a problem. Gin can help with joint pain caused by injuries, rheumatoid arthritis and gout. Originally, Gin was not taken as an alcoholic drink. It was used as an herbal medicine. Even today, it is widely used as a solvent in traditional medicine where it is used for extracting active ingredients from barks, roots, herbs and leaves. The juniper berries used to flavor gin are rich in vitamin C, alpha-pinene, alpha-terpineol, catechins, betulin caryophyllene, menthol, delta-3-carene and limonene. These are powerful anti-inflammatory compounds. For this reason, Gin-soaked raisings are a popular homeopathic solution to keep joint pain at bay for those who suffer from arthritis. Next time your joints are acting up, whip out your favorite bottle of gin. It could just be what the doctor recommended.

2. Helps with Digestion

Gin contains bitter herbs that help increase digestive enzymes and boost secretion of stomach acid. This helps hasten the breakdown of food in the stomach.

3. Healthy, Glowing Skin

Did you know that gin provides the same anti-aging benefits as wine? Gin is made with natural ingredients that help keep your skin dewy, fresh and youthful. However, this is only possible with barrel aged gin since regular gin is devoid of the antioxidant properties contained in juniper berries. The process of aging of gin in barrels produces furans and polyphenols that help improve skin elasticity and smooth out wrinkles.

4. Flushes Out Toxins

Have issues with urinary tract infections or bloating? Gin could be the solution. The juniper in gin is a diuretic, which helps increase urine output and stops water retention. Consequently, increased urine output helps flush out bacteria and toxins associated with infections such as UTI. This is one of the amazing benefits of gin.

5. Liver Health

This sounds somewhat counterintuitive given that gin is an alcoholic drink. Nonetheless, the juniper berries contained in gin can help with liver disease, albeit theoretically. Since gin does help with water retention and bloating, which as some of the symptoms of liver disease, then taking some gin might just help. However, if the liver complications are caused by alcohol consumption, you might want to lay off the bottle.

6. Weight Management

Containing about 97 calories for every 1.5 ounces of alcohol, gin is one of the least calorific alcohols. Moreover, it boosts your metabolism. If you want to take alcohol, but are worried about your weight, then gin is the way to go.

7. Prevents Malaria

If you’re travelling to the tropics where malaria is prevalent, you might want to order a tonic and gin once you get there. In the 1800s, quinine was derived from the cinchona bark to make a tonic for curing and preventing malaria. People discovered that you could add gin to the tonic to make it more palatable. While you shouldn’t substitute malaria drugs for gin, it does help keep malaria at bay, as one of the benefits of gin.

8. Increases Herbal Intake

If you’re into taking herbal remedies and teas, then the composition of gin makes it the most ideal alcohol for you. It consists of juniper berries, cassia, coriander, sage, nutmeg, rosemary and angelica root.

9. Lives Longer

While drinking with reckless abandon won’t enable you to live longer, taking a reasonable amount of gin will help with blood circulation as you grow older. This can help prolong your life. Juniper berries are flavonoid rich, which helps with cardiovascular health. You’ll reduce the chance of dying prematurely from clogged arteries and atherosclerosis.

10. Fights Coughs and Colds

Juniper berries contain oils that help alleviate coughs and colds by getting rid of the mucus stuck in the throat and decongesting your lungs. You can also mix gin with a ton of herbs to help deal with sore throat.

11. Cancer Fighter

As mentioned earlier, gin contains plenty of antioxidants which help neutralize the cancer causing free radicals in your body. Drinking gin is just as beneficial as taking fad drinks such as kombucha.

12. Hay Fever Remedy

Gin will not cure hay fever, but it will help soothe the symptoms. During the summer months, you can use gin to soothe the sneezes and coughs brought about by hay fever. 

Note: Now you have learned about the benefits of gin, but you need to take it in moderation. A maximum of two drinks per day for men and one for women is recommended. Like with anything else, too much of gin could be detrimental to your health and wellbeing.

Taking too much alcohol can cause liver inflammation (alcoholic hepatitis), liver scarring and cirrhosis. It can also lead to an increase in blood pressure causing damage to the heart and potentially causing colon, mouth, liver and breast cancer.  

Excessive drinking can also cause osteoporosis, especially in young women. It can disrupt sleep and cause weight gain. Alcohol also impairs judgment when taken in copious amounts. This could lead to accidents or improper behavior.