✵The article documents the herb fresh ginger, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and its botanical source—namely, the plant species Zingiber officinale Rosc. It offers a detailed introduction to the plant’s botanical features, growth characteristics, ecological environment, as well as the characteristics of the herb (fresh ginger), its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens (Fresh Ginger)
Pinyin Name: Shēng Jiāng
English Name: Fresh Ginger
Latin Name: Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens
Properties and Flavor: Warm, pungent
Brief Introduction: Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens is the fresh rhizome of Zingiber officinale (Willd.) Rosc. It is used (1) to induce sweating and release the exterior in wind-cold syndromes, and (2) to warm the middle energizer and stop vomiting. The herb is commonly known as Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, Fresh Ginger, or Shēng Jiāng.
Botanical Source: Fresh Ginger is the fresh rhizome (i.e., tuberous rootstock) of Zingiber officinale Rosc.., a species belonging to the genus Zingiber, family Zingiberaceae (the ginger family), and order Zingiberales. The following species is the primary source:
(1) Zingiber officinale Rosc.
Botanical Description:Zingiber officinale Rosc. is a perennial herb reaching 50–80 cm in height. The rhizomes are thick and hypertrophic; the fracture surface is yellowish-white and emits a strong pungent aroma. Leaves are alternate, arranged in two vertical rows, sessile, and amplexicaular (stem-clasping); the paraphyll is 2–4 mm long; leaf blades are lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 15–30 cm long and 1.5–2.2 cm wide, with an acuminate apex and a narrowly attenuate base; the leaf base is sheath-shaped, amplexicaular (stem-clasping) and glabrous.
Scapes arise from the rhizome, measuring 15–25 cm in length; inflorescences are elliptic spikes, 4–5 cm long; bracts are egg-shaped or oval, about 2.5 cm long, pale green with pale yellow margins and a mucronate apex; the hypanthium (calyx tube) is about 1 cm long and bears three mucronate teeth; the corolla is yellow-green, with a corolla tube 2–2.5 cm long and three lanceolate lobes, each less than 2 cm long; the central labellum is oblong-obovate and shorter than the corolla lobes, marked with purple stripes and pale yellow spots; the two lateral lobes are oval, yellow-green, and edged with purple; there is one stamen, dark purple in color, with anthers ~9 mm long; the connective appendages envelop the style; the ovary is trilocular and glabrous; there is one style with a subglobose stigma.
Capsular fruit, numerous black seeds. Flowering occurs in August.
Growth Characteristics:Zingiber officinale Rosc. prefers a warm, humid climate; it is intolerant of low temperatures and frost, sensitive to excessive moisture, and susceptible to strong direct sunlight. Sloping, slightly shaded land is ideal for cultivation. Deep, loose, fertile, and well-drained sandy loam to heavy loam soils are recommended.
Historical Background of Ginger: Ginger is native to the subtropical forest regions of Southeast Asia and southern China. Zingiber officinale has been cultivated for so long that it no longer exists in the wild. Its cultivation expanded between the 2nd century BCE and the 2nd century CE. From the 3rd century CE onward, ginger spread from China to other parts of East Asia, from southern China to the Spice Islands, and both eastward and westward. The exact date of its arrival in Europe is unknown, but by the early Roman Empire[1], physicians such as Dioscorides[2] recorded zingiberi as an exotic Eastern plant. At that time, Zingiber officinale was already cultivated in Eritrea and East Africa. Greek dieticians noted ginger’s warming, digestive, mild laxative, and appetizing effects; they also recorded its use in treating cataracts and as an ingredient in antidotes against poisons.
Characteristics of the Herb: Fresh ginger is an irregular, slightly flattened lump (mass) with finger-like branches, 4–18 cm in length and 1–3 cm in thickness. The surface is yellowish-brown or grayish-brown, marked with annular nodes; stem scars or buds are present at the tips of branches. The herb is brittle and fractures easily; the fracture surface is light yellow, displaying a distinct endodermal ring and scattered vascular bundles. It possesses a characteristic aromatic odor and a pungent taste.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) Reduces gastric motility in vivo in rabbits, exhibiting a non-competitive antagonistic effect; (2) Significantly inhibits acid- and stress-induced gastric mucosal injury in rats; (3) Antagonizes copper sulfate–induced emesis; (4) Exerts protective effects against liver injury.
Medicinal Efficacy: Ginger dispels cold and relieves exterior syndrome, calms the adverse-rising Qi and stops nausea and vomiting, transforms phlegm and stops coughing, and detoxifies poisons. It is indicated for wind-cold invasion (a wind-cold type of common cold), fever with aversion to cold, headache and nasal congestion (stuffy nose), vomiting, retching, phlegmatic cough (phlegm-damp cough), diarrhea, and detoxifies poisoning caused by Pinellia ternata, Rhizoma arisaematis, fish and crab, or the meat of birds and beasts.
Administration of Fresh Ginger (Shēng Jiāng):
Reference:
Administration Guide for Fresh Ginger (Shēng Jiāng)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 3–10 grams; (2) Water decoction: 1–3 qián (≈3–9 grams); or fresh juice, taken orally. Externally: appropriate amount, mashed and applied topically to the affected area; or stir-fried and used for moxibustion-like application (ironing). (3) Water decoction: 3–10 grams; or fresh juice mixed with water or wine and taken orally. Externally: appropriate amount, mashed and applied topically; or stir-fried and used for moxibustion-like application; or fresh juice applied topically.
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Explanatory Notes:
1. Roman Empire: the ancient empire centered on the city of Rome, established in 27 BCE following the demise of the Roman Republic and lasting until the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century CE.
2. Dioscorides: Pedanius Dioscorides, a Greek physician and pharmacologist whose work De Materia Medica served as a foundational text for botanical terminology and pharmacology for over 1,600 years.
✵The article documents the herb fresh ginger, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, and its botanical source—namely, the plant species Zingiber officinale Rosc. It offers a detailed introduction to the plant’s botanical features, growth characteristics, ecological environment, as well as the characteristics of the herb (fresh ginger), its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Shēng Jiāng
Botanical Description: Zingiber officinale Rosc. is a perennial herb reaching 50–80 cm in height. The rhizomes are thick and hypertrophic; the fracture surface is yellowish-white and emits a strong pungent aroma. Leaves are alternate, arranged in two vertical rows, sessile, and amplexicaular (stem-clasping); the paraphyll is 2–4 mm long; leaf blades are lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 15–30 cm long and 1.5–2.2 cm wide, with an acuminate apex and a narrowly attenuate base; the leaf base is sheath-shaped, amplexicaular (stem-clasping) and glabrous.
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