Last night, I was surprised to hear on the news what Ankeny, Iowa recently used to de-ice their roads: garlic salt.

Photo by dogfaceboy/ Courtesy flickr

The garlic, which was mixed with regular road salt, was donated by spice producer Tone Brothers, Inc. The nine tons of garlic salt would have ended up in a landfill if it hadn’t have been for this donation.

It’s great to see how people continue to discover new ways herbs can be used in this modern day in age, but I have to wonder how this new use really works. Why did they have to mix the garlic salt with regular road salt? Was the use of less road salt the main benefit, saving road salt for future icy days? Or was the benefit a sustainable solution for using landfill-destined waste. Does garlic salt actually work best for ensuring safety on the roads? And wouldn’t the roads smell like a pizza joint? Tell me what you think!

I’ll leave you with these Herb Companion garlic articles:
• The Goodness of Garlic 
• Garlic: Nature’s Gift for Life 
• Garlic Makes it Good
 

When I think about herbs, I never really associate them with candy.

But last week, during the Thanksgiving holiday at several people's homes, I saw kitchen and coffee tables donned with bowls of Ting Ting Jahe, a ginger candy.

According to VeryAsia.com, Ting Ting Jahe is made in Indonesia and consists of sugar, maltose, ginger, starch and non-gluten rice.

Once you get past the rice paper coating and to the chewy candy wrapped inside, the spice becomes overwhelming. The first time I tried one, I could barely handle it. After that, I couldn't get enough.

Another ginger candy to try, described as "double strength ginger hard candy," is The Ginger People's Gin Gins. It boasts 30 percent fresh ginger and is equally as tasty as Ting Ting Jahe. However, Gin Gins are smaller, so they don't taste as spicy (unless you eat several in one sitting).  

What are the benefits of ginger candy, besides their spice and great taste? The benefits that make ginger especially important to begin with: It helps decrease motion sickness, vomiting and nausea.

I ate a Ting Ting Jahe candy before a flight last week, and even though I spent most of the trip asleep, I didn't feel a bit of motion sickness, which I sometimes get when flying. Our editor, KC, says she drinks gingerade and eats ginger candy when she's flying for the same benefits.

Now that I've tried herbal candy, and know of its benefits, regular candy just doesn't sound as sweet.

Do you eat any herbal candy, and if so, what kinds? Ever used ginger to aid in nausea?

— Jessica is an editorial intern for The Herb Companion.