Ginger: A Pungent Medicinal Herb

Ginger is a pungent and biting tropical spice popularly known for it medicinal value. Ginger is a perennial herb which grows straight from the ground. The stem is thick and grows underground often mistakenly as roots. The stem run horizontally and remains underground. On the other hand, the aerial stem grows to about a metre high producing leaves and flowers with no seeds.

Ginger is an indigenous crop of Asia and Africa and is cultivated widely in the tropics. The part of ginger that is mostly used is the fresh or dried rhizome or the underground stem. Unpeeled freshly ground dried ginger produces oil by distillation. The yield of oil is about 1 to 3%. Oleoresin is also sourced from dried unpeeled ginger. Ginger propagates by rhizome cuttings. Ginger is harvested when mature leaves wither and turn yellow. This is usually between 6 and 8 months after planting.

If you cut fresh ginger with a knife, you can be able to tell a good quality ginger from inferior quality ginger - a good one has a soft, flour-like surface whilst a bad one has a hard shiny and resin-like appearance.

Ginger contains oil, gingerols, shagaols, zingerone, lipids, 9% proteins, starch, vitamins A and niacin, minerals, amino acids and resins. Gingerols, shagaols and zingerone are responsible for the pungency of oleoresin.

Ginger is added to food during processing and storage so that the quality of food is improved or maintained. By so doing food wastage is reduced, acceptability is improved and storage life is prolonged.

Ginger Spice Used in Food and Beverages

Ginger spice is widely used commercially in food and beverages. These include alcoholic drinks, meat, gelatines, biscuits, ales, colas, candies, desserts, cordials, ginger ale, gingerbread and curry powder.

Ginger is pungent

Ginger is pungent. This makes ginger exhibit biological properties that are suitable for medicinal uses, as well as use in cosmetic products of soap, detergents and lotions.

Ginger is Medicinal

Used domestically at home for cooking, ginger's oleoresin is an important ingredient for medicinal preparations used for the following:

1. as digestant
2. as laxative
3. as antacid
4. remedy for cold and cough
5. treating joint pains
6. cure bacterial dysentery
7. relieve toothache
8. control baldness
9. cure malaria (malaria is a fast killer, consult your doctor)

Ginger protease is an enzyme similar to papain that has wider applications in the food and drug industry.

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