Can you overdose on ginger?

Q. I weaned myself off Nexium very gradually. It took four months, but it was successful.

I found taking ginger capsules morning and evening very helpful. Ginger tea is good, too, but the capsules are more convenient. I wish I had used them much sooner in the weaning process.

Are there any health concerns about consuming so much ginger (1 gram) daily?

A. Ginger has traditionally been used to treat nausea, vomiting and other digestive distress. Despite this, some people report gastrointestinal symptoms such as heartburn or diarrhea, especially at high doses. Obviously that did not affect you, since you were using it to ease the heartburn that can be triggered when you stop taking a medicine like esomeprazole (Nexium) or omeprazole (Prilosec).

The dose that you used is within the usual dosing range, which runs from about 500 mg to about 2 grams per day. There are some potential interactions: Ginger should not be taken together with the blood-pressure pill nifedipine, as it might lead to bruising or bleeding. It might not be wise to take ginger with the anticoagulant warfarin for the same reason.

Q. I have been diagnosed with granuloma annulare by a dermatologist who said there is no cure. Is there anything that can arrest this condition?

The rash travels to different parts of my body and does not go away. It does not itch, but it looks ugly.

A. Granuloma annulare (GA) is characterized by red bumps on the skin, especially the hands, legs or feet. They may form a circle on the skin.

This condition appears to be an immune-system reaction, but doctors do not know what causes it. Occasionally it appears after an immunization. Treatment with steroids is often unsatisfactory.

Some visitors to our website have reported success dousing the rash with vinegar on a daily basis. Others have found that the antifungal cream Vagisil can be helpful.

There appears to be a great deal of individual variation in response to various treatments. It may be more troublesome in people with high blood sugar, so you may want to have that checked.

Q. You have written about the benefits of cocoa and the drawbacks of sugar and fat in chocolate. I have a solution.

While I was on vacation in Guatemala, I was served hot cocoa made with water, no milk or sugar. It was delicious.

Now I make my cocoa using 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder per cup of hot water. Sometimes I add a little milk or sweetener, as you might to coffee. This solves the problem of extra calories.

A. Thank you for this simple recipe. The natural compounds in cocoa can help relax blood vessels and keep blood platelets from clumping together into clots (Vascular Pharmacology online, April 11, 2015).

This can help lower blood pressure modestly (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Aug. 15, 2012).

When cacao was first domesticated thousands of years ago, people consumed it as cocoa in unsweetened beverages. Your approach seems compatible.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.”

2015 King Features Syndicate, Inc.