Ginger

Zingiber officinale, referred to commonly as ginger or garden ginger, is a member of the Zingiberaceae family. It is a plant of vital importance due to the variety of derivatives that can be produced and utilized. Ginger’s diverse therapeutic capabilities for the body have contributed to healthcare dating back to ancient civilizations and continue to evolve with modern science as more in-depth means of observation are focused on its composition and potential capabilities. In addition, by-products of the plant have been embraced for their distinctive qualities of taste and smell. The results of these known attributes of ginger have allowed it to become an integral part of many cultures of the world, on large and small scales, with much to offer.

A herbaceous perennial, the ginger plant is characterized by a large modified underground stem, a rhizome, with an outer layer of a cork-like texture, from which green leafy pseudostem stalks reaching up to 1.2m arise annually. (Kew) In maturity, rhizomes of the plant can range from six to 26 leafy axillary branches. (Ravindran & Babu 2005) The underground stem functions in vegetative propagation and nutrient storage for the plant. (Ravindran & Babu 2005) The enlarged root contains most of the beneficial essential oils of the plant, making it the portion of the plant most widely cultivated for use in industry. Leaves of the aerial stalk are narrow in shape and are arranged alternately though remain close to the stalk. Ginger plants may produce flowers arising from the rhizome in conical spikes of overlapping bracts culminating in a single flower. The flowers are usually of a white or yellow color featuring a single lip-like petal purple in color with yellow linear striation...

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