Ginger

Zingiber officunale Roscoe

Once upon a time, a pound of ginger from Mecca was worth as much as one ram. The spice was brought to Europe by the Arabs, and since no one had ever seen the plant itself, there was an opinion that ginger was the root of black pepper. The ancient Greeks knew about this Indian plant, but only very rich people could afford to use the spicy roots.

In ancient Rome, ginger was more popular, as evidenced by Pliny. Only in the 13th century, Marco Polo’s brother, Javani de Monte Corvino, traveling through India, compiled a detailed description of a plant unknown to Europeans. This description is considered the very first, since this culture has not been written about before, and perhaps this information has not reached us. It is unknown by whom and when this large plant was introduced into cultivation, just as its wild ancestors are unknown.

The stem of ginger resembles a reed, decorated with ovoid spikelets. Ginger does not bear fruit and reproduces only by pieces of rhizomes. Tubers ripen in 6-10 months. The largest of them reach the size of a thumb. The shape of the roots resembles figures of animals and people.

The ancients considered ginger the best remedy for the plague. The peoples of East Asia used it to treat trachoma and bronchial asthma, relieve spasms of cerebral vessels and were revered along with ginseng root. Ginger, according to the French doctor Odo:

Serves the digestive power of the stomach and liver.
He cures harm from bites, disgust kills himself,
Often he comes to the rescue with various breast diseases;
The fever, which is usually caused by a febrile attack,
It calms down when it is drunk before its onset.

There are several types of ginger. Each of them has special properties: fragrant was used to treat gout; zerumbet was considered a good stomach remedy; kasumunar relieved rheumatic pain... The most widespread is pharmaceutical or medicinal ginger, from which essential oil is obtained by steam distillation.

Medicinal properties

1. It has an antibacterial effect against sore throat, bronchitis, and acute respiratory diseases. Effective for flu and fever.
2. It has a strong antiseptic effect against food poisoning. Stimulates appetite. Effective for nausea, vomiting, flatulence, indigestion, feeling of heaviness in the stomach, chronic enteritis.
3. Has a diuretic effect in cases of urinary retention and edema.
4. Stimulates metabolism.
5. A fast-acting pain reliever and anti-inflammatory agent for arthritis, rheumatism, muscle strain, muscle and tendon strain.
6. Used for stiffness of the spine and joints.
7. Has a beneficial effect on the prostate gland. In folk medicine it is used for impotence.
8. Used in the treatment of alcoholism.
9. It has an antiseptic effect for skin diseases.
10. A good restorative agent in the postoperative period, for long-term illnesses.
11. Disinfects the air during epidemics of airborne diseases.
12. Tones the nervous system, helps restore physical and mental activity.
13. Activates metabolic processes, increases blood supply to the skin, and prevents hair loss.

Dosage

Externally: 3-5 k. per 10 ml of vegetable oil.

Internally: 1-2 k. per 1 tsp. honey 2 times a day after meals.

Baths: 4-5 k.

Inhalations: 1-2 k.

Compresses: 3-4 k.

Contraindications. Individual intolerance, children under 7 years of age, 1-4 months of pregnancy, hypertension.

Note. Intensive oil.