Native to Southeast Asia, this tender perennial produces an upright plant with sword-like leaves angling upwards. Below the ground surface, the plant produces a rhizome, which is thick, tuberous, knotty, and sweetly pungent. Ginger or Zingiber officinale has been used in both medicine and culinary preparations for centuries.
Belief in its abilities to relieve digestive and circulation
Problems made it so widely favored that the cultivation of it in many tropical countries has left very little of it to be found growing wild. The sharp and spicy flavor and health-giving benefits have made it a famous, main focus of Chinese cuisine and herbal remedies.
Plant History
Ginger appears in the texts of Chinese and Eastern Indian philosophy and texts around the 4th century B.C. In the East Indian Susruta the Elder’s Sanskrit text, it is called sringavera, which describes its shape as a “horn root.” The Latin term for it became zingiber, the Greek zigiberis, the Spanish gengibre, the French gingembre, and the English “ginger.”
The original Chinese medical texts show the belief that zesty ginger is effective in treating nausea, diarrhea, stomach aches, cholera, toothaches, bleeding, and rheumatism. The Greeks imported it from the East before the 1st century A.D., when its use was recorded by Dioscorides. Its worth was of such importance to the Romans that it was at one time recorded as a taxable item.
How to Use
The rhizome or root part of ginger can be harvested at any time during the growing season. It is best to wait until the plant is dormant before drying it. The root can be stored for up to three months in a cool, dry place or preserved in vinegar or brine.
Herbalists use it to treat a variety of respiratory conditions, including coughs and the early stages of colds. Zesty ginger relieves digestive disorders such as upset stomach and nausea or morning sickness, menstrual cramps, and symptoms of food poisoning. It has been noted that ginger prevents motion sickness better than the popular drugs available on the market.
Ginger also stimulates circulation, warming cold feet and hands. East Africans use it to relieve headaches and kill intestinal parasites. Scientific research shows that the oil in ginger has all 42 compounds to effectively kill roundworm. Ginger is also known to relax sore muscles and alleviate
the pain of arthritis. It also acts as an energy booster, especially when combined with citrus.
In the culinary realm, fresh ginger adds zest to dishes with its pungent and spicy flavor and aroma. It is often eaten raw, pickled, or candied and eaten after a meal to aid in digestion. As a candy, it works well to satisfy a sweet tooth, but it is a good cough suppressant as well. It also acts as an energy booster, especially when combined with citrus as tea or tonic.
Health and Wellness Benefits
Ginger makes fighting off the common cold or flu and easing digestive or respiratory discomfort a healthier and better-tasting change from the over-the-counter remedies available. Incorporating it as a regular herbal spice or tea in a balanced diet has long-lasting health benefits. Along with the excellent culinary rewards, ginger’s pain-killing and antiseptic properties contribute to overall wellness.
