Zingeber officinale Roscoe

CLASSIFICATION

Kingdom : Plantae
Subkingdom: Tracheobionta
Superdivision: Spermatophyta
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class : Liliopcida
Subclass: Zingiberidae
Order : Zingiberales
Family : Zingiberaceae
Genus : Zingiber
Species : Z. officinale Roscoe

SYNONYM

Amomum zingeber

COMMON NAME

Calamus, Sweet Ginger, Ginger Root

PARTS USED

Rhizomes

Zingeber officinale Roscoe

VERNACULAR NAMES

Malay : Halia
English : Ginger
Sanskrit : Adrakam, Ardraka
Hindi : Adrak,Sunthi,Sonth
Kannada : Sunthi
Marathi : Nisam
Gujarati : Sunt
Tamil : Inji
French: gingembre
German: Ingwer
Italian: zenzero
Spanish: jengibre
Burmese: cheung, chiang, jeung
Indonesian: aliah
Japanese: mioga, myoga, shoga
Thai: k(h)ing (green)

HISTORY

Ginger is native to India and China. It takes its name from the Sanskrit word stringa-vera, which means “with a body like a horn”, as in antlers. Zingeber been important in Chinese medicine for many centuries, and is mentioned in the writings of Confucius.

It is also named in the Koran, the sacred book of the Moslems, indicating it was known in Arab countries as far back as 650 A.D. It was one of the earliest spices known in Western Europe, used since the ninth century. It became so popular in Europe that it was included in every table setting, like salt and pepper.

Chinese and Ayurvedic practitioners have relied on ginger for at least 3,000 years for its anti-inflammatory properties, and have used it as a “carrier herb", one that enables other herbs to be more effective in the body. In China, for example, ginger has been used to aid digestion and treat stomach upset, diarrhea, and nausea for more than 2,000 years.

Since ancient times, ginger has also been used to help treat arthritis, colic, diarrhea, and heart conditions. In addition to these medicinal uses, ginger continues to be valued around the world as an important cooking spice and is believed to help the common cold, flu-like symptoms, headaches, and even painful menstrual periods. Native to Asia where its use as a culinary spice spans at least 4,400 years, ginger grows in fertile, moist, tropical soil.

Zingeber officinale Roscoe

FAMILY

Zingeber officinale is known as "common ginger" and referred to as Jamaican ginger, African ginger, or Cochin ginger, according to its geographical origin. The word "ginger" truly refers to the edible ginger of commerce known in the Malay language as halia and botanically as Zingeber officinale, while "gingers" is a general term for members or species of the ginger family.

Z.officinale is perennial plant belonging to the family of Zingeberaceae that consists of 47 genera including Zingeber, Curcuma, Alpinia, Amomum, Elettaria, Kaempferia and Hedychium, and of about 1,400 species. Ginger is native to Southeast Asia and has been cultivated in countries such as India and China for over 3,000 years. Today, it is widely cultivated in the tropical and temperate zone. The leading producers of Z.officinale are Indonesia, India, China and Japan while leading importers are Soudi Arabia, Yemen, United States, Japan and Europe.

Zingeber officinale Roscoe

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Z.officinale is a knotted, thick, an erect and aromatic herb with branched underground stem called rhizome which can grow from year to year if the rhizomes are left in the ground; bears seed very rarely.

The stem extends roughly 12 inches above ground with long, narrow, ribbed, green leaves, and white or yellowish-green flowers. It’s a perennial creeping plant, with thick tuberous rhizome, producing an erect stem 30 - 150 cm (1-5 ft) tall depending on the variety and condition under which it is grown.

The lance-shaped leaves are bright green, 15 - 20 cm (6-8 in) long, 2 cm wide with a prominent longitudinal rib, enclosing conical clusters of small yellow-green flowers marked with purple speckles.

It is propagated from rhizome cuttings, planted on rich, well drained loam. It requires a tropical climate with both a heavy rain season and a hot dry season. Plants shoot in ten days and are harvested after nine to ten months.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

The plant is widely cultivated all over India, Bangladesh, Taiwan, Jamaica and Nigeria.

CLIMATE

Ginger can be grown in any place in the country and it grows in warm climate. It grows well from sea level to an elevation of 1500 meters. Optimum elevation is from 300-900 meters above sea level. Growth diminishes at a much higher elevations.
Ginger requires a relatively high temperature and relative humidity. Optimum temperature for its growth is between 25 to 30 ˚C. Temperature higher than 35 ˚C will cause leaf scorching. Optimum annual rainfall for a successful ginger production is 200-300cm while ginger could be raised.

SOIL

Ginger grows in fertile, moist, tropical soil and can be planted on rich, well drained loam.

POLLINATION

Pollination has only been observed in a few spesies of Zingeberaceae, but butterflies and moths seem to play a major role. Ants and bees have been seen to visit several Amomum and Alpinia species, and may be pollinating agents.

Zingeber officinale Roscoe

ANATOMY OF THE RHIZOME

Scraped rhizome with buff external surface showing longitudinal striations and occasional loose fibers, outer surface dark brown and more or less covered with cork which shows conspicuous, narrow, longitudinal and transverse ridges; the cork readily exfoliates from lateral surfaces but persists between branches.

Smoothed transversely cut surface exhibiting a narrow cortex separated by an endodermis from a much wider stele, numerous widely scattered fibrovascular bundles, abundant scattered oleoresin cells with yellow contents.

Starch abundant in the thin-walled ground tissue, as flattened, ovate to subrectangular, transversely straited, simple granules, each with the hilum in a projection towards one end. Pigments cells with dark reddish brown contents occurring either singly in the ground tissue or in axial rows accompanying the vascular bundles.

Vessels with spiral or reticulate thickening in the scattered vascular bundles are found. Irregularly shaped thin-walled fibers with delicate, transverse septa, yielding only slightly the reaction characteristic of lignin. Sclereids and calcium oxalate crystals absent.

Zingeber officinale Roscoe

ACTIVE PRINCIPLES

Zingerone, shogaols, gingerols and volatile oils that compose about one to three percent of the weight of fresh ginger. In laboratory animals, the gingerols increase the motility of the gastrointestinal tract and have analgesic, sedative, antipyretic and antibacterial properties.

Ginger contains up to three percent of a fragrant essential oil whose main constituents are sesquiterpenoids, with (-)-zingiberene as the main component. Smaller amounts of other sesquiterpenoids (β-sesquiphellandrene, bisabolene and farnesene) and a small monoterpenoid fraction (β-phelladrene, cineol, and citral) have also been identified.

The pungent taste of ginger is due to nonvolatile phenylpropanoid-derived compounds, particularly gingerols and shogaols, which form from gingerols when ginger is dried or cooked. Zingerone is also produced from gingerols during this process; this compound is less pungent and has a spicy-sweet aroma. Shogaols have recently been found to be twice as pungent as gingerols.

Ginger is also a minor chemical irritant, and because of this was used as a horse suppository by pre-World War I mounted regiments for figging.

Ginger has a sialagogue action, stimulating the production of saliva, which makes swallowing easier.

COLOUR & APPEARANCE

Yellowish brown or light brown. Scraped rhizome with buff external surface showing longitudinal striations and occasional loose fibers, outer surface dark brown and more or less covered with cork which shows conspicuous, narrow, longitudinal and transverse ridges.

ODOUR

Aromatic, Refreshing, Lemon-like smell

TASTE

Sharply Pungent, moderately burning or warm taste and sweet

HEAT SCALE

7

Zingeber officinale Roscoe

FORMS USED

Whole raw roots are generally referred to as fresh ginger. A piece of the rhizome, called a ‘hand’. It has a pale yellow interior and a skin varying in colour from brown to off-white. Jamaican ginger, which is pale buff, is regarded as the best variety. African and Indian ginger is darker skinned and generally inferior, with the exception of Kenya ginger.

Whole fresh roots provide the freshest taste. The roots are collected and shipped when they are still immature, the outer skin is a light green colour. These can sometimes be found in Oriental markets.

Dried roots are sold either ‘black’ with the root skin left on, or ‘white’ with the skin peeled off. The dried root is available whole or sliced.

Powdered ginger is the buff-coloured ground spice made from dried root.

Preserved or ‘stem’ ginger is made from fresh young roots, peeled and sliced, then cooked in a heavy sugar syrup. The ginger pieces and syrup are canned together. They are soft and pulpy, but extremely hot and spicy.

Crystallized ginger is also cooked in sugar syrup, then air dried and rolled in sugar.

Pickled ginger has the root sliced paper-thin and pickled in a vinegar solution. This pickle is known in Japan as gari, which often accompanies sushi, and is served to refresh the palate between courses.

PREPARATION AND STORAGE

In Asian cooking, ginger is almost always used fresh, either minced, crushed or sliced. Fresh ginger can be kept for several weeks in the salad drawer of the refrigerator. It can be kept for about three weeks in a refrigerator and up to three months in a freezer. Dried ginger should be ‘bruised’ by beating it to open the fibers, then infused in the cooking or making ginger beer and removed when the flavour is sufficient. Store dried and powdered ginger in airtight containers.

USE AND COMMERCIAL IMPORTANCE

Z.officinale have been cultivated for its use as spices, condiments, flavours, fresh vegetables, medicines and as ornamentals. This freshy branched rhizomes are exported to temperate regions from several tropical countries.

CULINARY USES

Z.officinale is valued throughout the world as a spice or flavoring agent. In Arabic and western cooking, dried ginger is mainly used for breads, cookies, cakes, teas, beers and wines, while in most Asian countries such as in India, China, Thailand, Indonesia and Japan, fresh ginger is mainly used as an ingredient for cooking to add a distinctive flavor to a dish. It is indispensable for curry powders and some other spice blends.

In Japan, pickled rhizomes and young ginger shoots are widely used as a garnish. Fresh ginger is essential to Asian and oriental cookery. It is used in pickles, chutneys and curry pastes and the ground dried root is a constituent of many curry powders. Tender young ginger can be sliced and eaten as a salad. Sometimes the roots will produce green sprouts which can be finely chopped and added to a green salad.

Ginger is also used in puddings, jams, preserves and in some drinks like ginger beer, ginger wine and tea. Pickled ginger is a delicious accompaniment to satays and a colourful garnish to many Chinese dishes. Preserved ginger is eaten as a confection, chopped up for cakes and puddings, and is sometimes used as an ice cream ingredient.

Young ginger rhizomes are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. They are stewed in boiling water to make ginger tea, to which honey is often added as a sweetener; sliced orange or lemon fruit may also be added. Mature ginger roots are fibrous and nearly dry. The juice from old ginger roots is extremely potent and is often used as a spice in Indian recipes and Chinese cuisine to flavor dishes such as seafood or mutton and vegetarian recipes.

Powdered dry ginger root (ginger powder) is typically used to spice gingerbread and other recipes. Fresh ginger can be substituted for ground ginger at a ratio of 6 parts fresh for 1 part ground, although the flavors of fresh and dried ginger are not exactly interchangeable.

Ginger is also made into candy, is used as a flavoring for cookies, cracker and cake, and is the main flavor in ginger ale—a sweet, carbonated, non-alcoholic beverage, as well as the similar, but spicier ginger beer which is popular in the Caribbean.

Fresh ginger should be peeled before cooking.

Zingeber officinale Roscoe

ATTRIBUTED MEDICINAL PROPERTIES


Ginger is most commonly known for its effectiveness as a digestive aid. By increasing the production of digestive fluids and saliva, ginger helps relieve indigestion, gas pains, diarrhea and stomach cramping. Ginger is also used to treat nausea related to both motion sickness and morning sickness.

It has been found to be even more effective than Dramamine® in curbing motion sickness, without causing drowsiness. Ginger's anti-inflammatory properties help relieve pain and reduce inflammation associated with arthritis, rheumatism and muscle spasms.

Ginger's therapeutic properties effectively stimulate circulation of the blood, removing toxins from the body, cleansing the bowels and kidneys, and nourishing the skin.

Other uses of Z.officinale include the treatment of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems by loosening and expelling phlegm from the lungs. Ginger may also be used to help break fevers by warming the body and increasing perspiration.

DOCTORINE OF SIGNATURES

Ginger has a yellow color, which indicates its use in the digestive system as well as with any yellowish fluids associated with the body.

TRADITIONAL USES

Z.officinale is carminative (digestive aid), pungent, stimulant, diuretic and antiemetic used widely for indigestion, stomachache, malaria and fevers. Ginger with lime juice and rock salt increases appetite and stimulates the secretion of gastric juices.

It is said to be used for abdominal pain, anorexia, arthritis, atonic dyspepsia, bleeding, cancer, chest congestion, chicken pox, cholera, chronic bronchitis, cold extremities, colic, colitis, common cold, cough, cystic fibrosis, diarrhoea, difficulty in breathing, dropsy, fever, flatulent, indigestion, disorders of gallbladder, hyperacidity, hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, indigestion, morning sickness, nausea, rheumatism, sore throat, throat ache, stomach ache and vomiting. Ginger forms an important constituent of many pharmacopoeial Ayurvedic formulations.

PHARMACOLOGY AND CLINICAL STUDIES

Anti-emetic Activity: Early animal studies had demonstrated the anti-emetic property of fresh ginger, but it was the clinical work of Mowrey and Clayson which generated a wider interest in this use of ginger. They compared the effects of 1.88g of dried powdered ginger, 100mg dimenhydrinate (Dramamine) and placebo on the symptoms of motion sickness in 36 healthy subjects who reported very high susceptibility to motion sickness.

Motion sickness was induced by placing the blind folded subject in a tilted rotating chair. Ginger was found to be superior to dimenhydrinate and placebo in preventing the gastrointestinal symptoms of motion sickness and the authors postulated a local effort in the gastrointestinal tract for ginger. This was particularly likely since it was given as a powder only 25 minutes before the test. The gingerols and shogaols were subsequently identified as the main anti-emetic compounds in ginger.

Improvement of digestive function: Early Chinese and Japanese research found that oral and intragastric application of fresh ginger decoction produced a stimulant action on gastric secretion.

German scientists found that chewing 9g of crystallised ginger had a profound effect on saliva production. Amylase activity was also increased and the saliva was not more watery, although it contained slightly less mucroprotein. Intraduodenal doses of ginger extract increased bile secretion in rats. Total secretion of bile solids was also increased, but not to the same extent as bile flow. 6- gingerol and 10-gingerol were identified as the active components. Fresh ginger also contains a proteolytic enzyme.

Ginger, in conjunction with other pungent Ayurvedic herbs, increased the bioavailability of a number of drugs by promoting their absorption and/or protecting them from being metabolized in their first passage through the liver.

Oral doses of 6-shogaol accelerated intestinal transit in rats. Also an extract of ginger, and isolated 6-shogaol and gingerols, enhanced gastrointestinal motility in mice after oral doses.

Anti-ulcer Activity: Ginger and 6-gingerol inhibited experimental gastric ulcers in rats. Fresh ginger decocted in water resulted in symptomatic improvement in 10 patients with peptic ulcers.

Antiplatelet Activity: Srivastava and co-workers found that aqueous extract of ginger inhibited platelet aggregation induced by ADP, epinephrine, collagen and arachidonic acid in vitro. Ginger acted by inhibiting thromboxane synthesis. It also inhibited prostacyclin synthesis in rat aorta. The antiplatelet action of 6-gingerol was also mainly due to the inhibition of thromboxane formation.

Anti-inflammatory Activity: Ginger extract inhibited carrageenan-induced paw swelling and was as active as aspirin. Essential oil of ginger inhibited chronic adjuvant arthritis in rats. Ginger and its pungent components are dual inhibitors of arachiodonic acid metabolism. That is, they inhibit both cyclooxygenase (prostaglandin synthetase) and lipoxygenase enzymes of the prostaglandin and leukotriene biosynthetic pathways.

Antipyretic Activity: Ginger extract given orally reduced fever in rats by 38%, while the same dose of aspirin was effective by 44%. The antipyretic activity of 6-shogaol and 6-gingerol has also been observed.

Cardiovascular Effects: Ginger exerted a powerful positive inotropic effect on isolated guinea pigs left atria. Gingerols were identified as the active components.

Antioxidant Activity: Extracts of ginger have pronounced antioxidant activity comparable to that of synthetic antioxidant preservatives.

Other Effects: Ginger extract exhibited a prolonged hypoglycaemic activity.

MEDICINAL USES AND INDICATIONS

Ginger root is widely used as a digestive aid for mild stomach upset and is commonly recommended by health care professionals to help prevent or treat nausea and vomiting associated with motion sickness, pregnancy, and cancer chemotherapy. Ginger is used as support in inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, and may have blood thinning and cholesterol lowering properties that may make it useful for treating heart disease or cancer.

Motion Sickness

Several studies suggest that ginger may be more effective than placebo in reducing symptoms associated with motion sickness. In one trial of 80 novice sailors (prone to motion sickness), those who took powdered ginger experienced a significant reduction in vomiting and cold sweating compared to those who took placebo. Similar results were found in a study with healthy volunteers.

Conventional prescription and non-prescription medicines that decrease nausea may also cause unwanted side effects, such as dry mouth and drowsiness. Given the safety of ginger, many people find it a welcome alternative to these medications to relieve their motion sickness.

Pregnancy Related Nausea and Vomiting

A limited number of human studies suggests that 1 gram daily of ginger may be safe and effective for pregnancy-associated nausea and vomiting when used for short periods (no longer than 4 days). Several studies have found that ginger is more effective than placebo in relieving nausea and vomiting associated with pregnancy. In a small study including 30 pregnant women with severe vomiting, those who ingested 1 gram of ginger every day for four days reported more relief from vomiting than those who received placebo. In a larger study including 70 pregnant women with nausea and vomiting, those who received a similar dosage of ginger felt less nauseous and experienced fewer vomiting episodes than those who received placebo.


Diarrhea

Ginger compounds are active against a form of diarrhea which is the leading cause of infant death in developing countries. Zingerone is likely to be the active constituent against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin-induced diarrhea.


Chemotherapy nausea

There is evidence from a few studies that suggests ginger reduces the severity and duration of nausea (but not vomiting) during chemotherapy. Long-term studies should be performed to confirm these results and to establish safety.


Nausea and vomiting following surgery

Z.officinale has been found effective in multiple studies for treating nausea caused by seasickness, morning sickness and chemotherapy, though it was not found superior over a placebo for post-operative nausea.

Research has produced mixed results regarding the use of ginger in the treatment of nausea and vomiting following surgery. In two studies, 1 gram of ginger root before surgery reduced nausea as effectively as a leading medication. In one of these two studies, women who received ginger also required fewer nausea-relieving medications following surgery.

Other studies, however, have failed to find the same positive effects. In fact, one study found that ginger may actually increase vomiting following surgery. For this reason, further studies are needed to determine whether ginger is safe and effective for the prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting following surgery.

Inflammation

In addition to providing relief from nausea and vomiting, ginger extract has long been used in traditional medical practices to decrease inflammation. In fact, many health care professionals today use ginger to help treat health problems associated with inflammation, such as arthritis and ulcerative colitis.

In a study of 261 people with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee, those who received a ginger extract twice daily experienced less pain and required fewer pain-killing medications compared to those who received placebo.

Although there have also been a few other studies of the benefit of ginger for arthritis, one trial found that the herb was no more effective than ibuprofen (a medication frequently used to treat OA) or placebo in reducing symptoms of OA.

Other uses

Although it is much too early to tell if this will benefit those with heart disease, a few preliminary studies suggest that ginger may lower cholesterol and prevent the blood from clotting. Each of these effects may protect the blood vessels from blockage and the damaging effects of blockage such as atherosclerosis, which can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Laboratory studies have also found that components in ginger may have anticancer activity. More research needs to be performed to determine the effects of ginger on various cancers in humans.

REGIONAL USES

India

Fresh ginger is one of the main spices used for making pulse and lentil curries and other vegetable preparations. It is used fresh to spice tea especially in winter. Ginger powder is also used in certain food preparations particularly for expecting women and feeding mothers, the most popular one being Katlu which is a mixture of gum resin, ghee, nuts, and sugar.

South India


Ginger is used in the production of a candy called Inji-murappa ("ginger candy" from Tamil). This candy is mostly sold by vendors to bus passengers in bus stops and in small tea shops as a locally produced item. Candied or crystallized ginger (ginger cured with sugar) is also common. Additionally, in Tamil Nadu, especially in the Tanjore belt, a variety of ginger which is less spicy is used when tender to make fresh pickle with the combination of lemon juice or vinegar, salt, and tender green chili peppers. This kind of pickle was generally made before the invention of refrigeration and stored for a maximum of 4-5 days. The pickle gains a mature flavor when the juices cook the ginger over the first 24 hours. Ginger is also added as a flavoring in tea.

Burma

Z.officinale is used in a salad dish called gyin-tho, which consists of shredded ginger preserved in oil, and a variety of nuts and seeds.

Indonesia

A beverage called Wedang Jahe is made from ginger and palm sugar. Indonesians also use ground ginger root, called jahe or djahe, as a frequent ingredient in local recipes.

China

Sliced or whole ginger root is often paired with savory dishes such as fish. However, candied ginger is sometimes a component of Chinese candy boxes, and a herbal tea can also be prepared from ginger.

Japan

Z.officinale is pickled to make beni shoga and gari or grated and used raw on tofu or noodles. It is also made into a candy called shoga no satozuke.

Korea

Ginger is finely minced and added to the ingredients of the spicy paste just before the fermenting process.

Western

Z.officinale is traditionally used mainly in sweet foods such as ginger ale, gingerbread, ginger snaps, ginger cake and ginger biscuits. A ginger-flavored liqueur called Canton is produced in Jarnac, France. Green ginger wine is a ginger flavored wine produced in the United Kingdom, traditionally sold in a green glass bottle. Ginger is also used as a spice added to hot coffee and tea.

Caribbean

Ginger is a popular spice for cooking, and making drinks such as sorrel, a seasonal drink made during the Christmas season. Jamaicans make ginger beer both as a carbonated beverage and also fresh in their homes. Ginger tea is often made from fresh ginger as well.

Island of Corfu, Greece

Production of a traditional drink called (tsitsimpira), a type of ginger beer. The people of Corfu and the rest of the Ionian islands picked up the drink from the british, during the british occupation of the islands.

Arabic

Z.officinale is called zanjabil and in some parts of the Middle East, ginger powder is used as a spice for coffee.

Ivory Coast

Ginger is ground and mixed with orange, pineapple and lemon to produce a juice called Nyamanku.

FOLK MEDICINAL USES

A variety of uses are suggested for ginger. Tea brewed from ginger is a folk remedy for colds. Ginger ale and ginger beer have been recommended as "stomach settlers" for generations in countries where the beverages are made, and ginger water was commonly used to avoid heat cramps in the US. Ginger has also been historically used to treat inflammation, which several scientific studies support, though one arthritis trial showed ginger to be no better than a placebo or ibuprofen. Research on rats suggests that ginger may be useful for treating diabetes.

• In the West, powdered dried ginger root is made into capsules and sold in pharmacies for medicinal use.
  
• In Burma, ginger and a local sweetener made from palm tree juice (Htan nyat) are boiled together and taken to prevent the flu.
  
• In China, a drink made with sliced ginger cooked in sweetened water or a cola is used as a folk medicine for the common cold.
  
• In the Congo, ginger is crushed and mixed with mango tree sap to make tangawisi juice, which is considered as a universal panacea.
  
• In India, ginger is applied as a paste to the temples to relieve headache and consumed when suffering from the common cold, people use ginger for making tea, in food etc.
  
• In Indonesia, a type of ginger known as Jahe is used as a herbal preparation to reduce fatigue, reducing "winds" in the blood, prevent and cure rheumatism and controlling poor dietary habits.
  
• In the Philippines a traditional health drink called "salabat" is made for breakfast by boiling chopped ginger and adding sugar; it is considered good for a sore throat.
  
• In the United States,ginger is used to prevent motion and morning sickness. It is recognized as safe by the Food and Drug Administration and is sold as an unregulated dietary supplement.
  

Zingeber officinale Roscoe

REACTIONS

Allergic reactions to ginger generally result in a rash, and although it generally recognized as safe, ginger can cause heartburn, bloating, gas, belching and nausea, particularly if taken in powdered form. Unchewed fresh ginger may result in intestinal blockage, and individuals who have had ulcers, inflammatory bowel disease or blocked intestines may react badly to large quantities of fresh ginger.Ginger can also adversely affect individuals with gallstones. There are also suggestions that ginger may affect blood pressure, clotting, and heart rhythms.

AVAILABLE FORMS

Z.officinale products are made from fresh or dried ginger root, or from steam distillation of the oil in the root. The herb is available in extracts, tinctures, capsules, and oils. Fresh ginger root can also be purchased and prepared as a tea. Ginger is also a common cooking spice and can be found in a variety of foods and drinks, including ginger bread, ginger snaps, ginger sticks, and ginger ale.

RECIPES

1. Prevent Common Cold

Ingredient: An adequate amount of fresh ginger + brown sugar
Prescription: The fresh ginger & brown sugar are boiled and drunk to induce sweating after taking a nap under a thick blanket
Explaination: Prevent common cold. Brown sugar promotes blood circulation and ginger induces sweating by its hot nature.

2. Uncontrollable Coughing and Astma

Ingredient: Fresh ginger 30g + honey 500g
Prescription: Cut ginger into slices, then put them into honey & steam for 20min. After removing ginger, 30-50g of honey is orally administered, 1-2 times daily.
Explaination: Treat Uncontrollable Coughing and Astma caused by wind and dry pathogens.

3. Acute Heat pain

Ingredient: Large and ripe ginger 5g
Prescription: A decoction of chopped ginger taken.
Explaination: Treat onset of acute heart pain.

4. Hypotension

Ingredient: Clean fresh ginger with skin peeled.
Prescription: Chew 1g fresh ginger. It increases systolic blood pressure by 1.5kPa and diastolic pressure by 1.9kPa on average.
Explaination: Treat hypotension.

5. Cold and Pain in Stomach

Ingredient: An adequate amount of ripe ginger
Prescription: After drying & baking over low fire, ginger cut into small bits and taken with breakfast.
Explaination: Used to treat cold and pain in stomach.

6. Vomiting

Ingredient: Fresh ginger 20g
Prescription: Ginger pounded to prepare juice for oral consumption with warm water.
Explaination: Ginger expel cold pathogen to treat vomiting caused by accumulation of cold pathogen in stomach.

7. Hiccups

Ingredient: Fresh ginger 3g
Prescription: An attack of hiccups quickly controlled by drinking hot tea made with ginger bits.
Explaination: treat continuous hiccups due to an attack of cold in stomach or disorder of liver qi.

8. Cholera

Ingredient: Adequate amount of ginger slices + salt.
Prescription: a preparation of salt between 2 slices ginger used to rub chest with some water. Treatment continued for 15min. Then the part above sacrum rubbed for another 15min.
Explaination: Treat cholera with uncontrollable vomiting and diarrhea.

9. Abdominal pain and Muscle Spasm

Ingredient: Fresh ginger 90g.
Prescription: Pounded ginger boiled in 500ml wine. One oral administration.
Explaination: Treat uncontrollable diarrhea, abdominal pain and muscle spasm.

10. Malaria

Ingredient: Frsh ginger with skin 120g
Prescription: Ginger pounded to prepare juice. After storing overnight, cold ginger juice of 50ml taken before breakfast.
Explaination: Used to treat malaria due to retention of phlegm in spleen and stomach with repeated episodes of chills and fever.

11. Bone tuberculosis

Ingredient: Large amount of fresh or dried ginger
Prescription: Ginger paste is boiled in water for over an hour for a hot towel compress over lesion, twice a day.
Explaination: Produce warming effect to relieve stagnant blood and stop pain in tubersular bone before rupture of lesion.

12. Conjuctivitis

Ingredient: Adequate amount of fresh ginger
Prescription: Ginger slices applied around infected eye.
Explaination: Used to treat fire eye and red eye with infection, swelling,& pain due to other cause.

Zingiber officinale

Some of the products of Zingiber officinale are essential oil, bio-adrenal boost, ointment, cream, capsules, tablets and others

Zingiber officinale

TERMS

Succulent - water-retaining

Laxatives (or purgatives) - foods, compounds, or drugs taken to induce bowel movements or to loosen the stools, most often taken to treat constipation

Resinous - any of numerous clear to translucent yellow or brown, solid or semisolid viscous substances of plant

Exudates - any substance that oozes out from the pores of diseased or injured plant tissue. Resins, gums, oils and lacquers are examples of exudates widely
extracted for industrial uses

Salve - medical ointment used to soothe the head or other body surface

Topical - applied to body surfaces

Offsets - layers of plants

Lanceolate - long, wider in the middle

Serrated - saw-toothed margins

Pendulous - blooms borne on erect, branched flower stems

Corolla - collective term for petals of a flower taken as a group within the calyx

Chlorenchyma - parenchyma with chloroplasts

Mesophyll - tissue between the upper and lower epidermis of a leaf blade (lamina) consisting of parenchyma-like cells containing numerous chloroplasts.

Vascular bundles - part of the transport system in vascular plants

Bundle sheath - thick-walled plant cell surrounding veins that functions in C4 photosynthesis

Phloem - outer layer of the stem underneath the bark that carries organic nutrients (known as photosyntate), particularly sucrose, a sugar, to all parts of the plant where needed

Putative - suppose

Immunomodulatory - having the ability to alter or regulate one or more immune functions

Sludge blood - sticky substance in the blood covered the dying cells, they formed into clusters

Crohn's disease - inflammatory disease of the digestive system which may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from the mouth to the anus

Celiac disease - autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages

Acid reflux - chronic symptoms or mucosal damage produced by the abnormal reflux in the esophagus

Phytonutrient - plant-derived chemical compounds under scientific research for their potential health promoting- properties

Systemic lupus - autoimmune disease characterized by acute and chronic inflammation of various tissues of the body

Erythematosus - connective tissue disease

Unpalatable - not pleasing to the taste

Canker sores - shallow, painful sores in the mouth. They are usually red or may sometimes have a white coating over them

Ulcerative colitis - disease that causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the lining of the rectum and colon

Mucositis - painful inflammation and ulceration of the mucous membranes lining the digestive tract usually as an adverse effect of chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment for cancer

Phototoxicity - chemical compound which becomes toxic only when exposed to light

Nausea - sensation of unease and discomfort in the stomach with an urge to vomit

Colic - form of pain in the abdomen which starts and stops abruptly

Sedative - substance that induces sedation by reducing irritability or excite

Antipyretic - drugs that reduce body temperature in situations such as fever. However, they will not affect the normal body temperature if one does not have a fever

Motion sickness - condition in which a disagreement exists between visually perceived movement and the vestibular system's sense of movement. Depending on the cause it can also be referred to as seasickness, carsickness, simulation sickness, airsickness, or space sickness

Carminative - prevents formation of gas in the gastrointestinal tract, or facilitates the expulsion of said gas, thereby combating flatulence

Pungent - sharp and biting sensory impression. Food that causes this sensation is often called "spicy"

Dyspepsia - the impairment of the power of function of digestion, usually applied to epigastric discomfort following meals

Atonic dyspepsia - dyspepsia with impaired tone in the muscular walls of the stomach