Ginger is a commonly used medicinal herb for dispelling wind-cold. It is the fresh rhizome of Zingiber officinale Rosc., a plant belonging to the genus Zingiber in the Zingiberaceae family. It has the effects of relieving exterior symptoms and dispelling cold, warming the middle burner and stopping vomiting, resolving phlegm and relieving cough, and neutralizing fish and crab poisoning. It is primarily used for wind-cold colds, vomiting due to stomach cold, coughs with cold phlegm, and fish and crab poisoning.
Ginger
Ginger is a commonly used medicinal herb for dispelling wind-cold. It is the fresh rhizome of Zingiber officinale Rosc., a plant belonging to the genus Zingiber in the Zingiberaceae family. It has the effects of relieving exterior symptoms and dispelling cold, warming the middle burner and stopping vomiting, resolving phlegm and relieving cough, and neutralizing fish and crab poisoning. It is primarily used for wind-cold colds, vomiting due to stomach cold, coughs with cold phlegm, and fish and crab poisoning.
Chinese Name : 生姜
Latin Name : Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens
Aliases : Ginger, Ginger Root, Bai La Yun
Authentic Producing Area : Mainly produced in Sichuan, Guizhou, Hubei, Guangdong, and Guangxi.
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Pungent in taste, slightly warm in nature; enters the Lung, Spleen, and Stomach meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Relieves exterior syndromes and dispels cold; warms the middle burner and stops vomiting; resolves phlegm and relieves cough; neutralizes fish and crab poisoning.
Indications
Fresh ginger is primarily used to treat wind-cold colds, vomiting due to stomach cold, coughs caused by cold phlegm, and fish and crab poisoning.
Usage and Dosage
Oral use: Decoction, 3–10 g.
Precautions
1. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should exercise caution when using fresh ginger and should preferably use it under a doctor’s guidance. 2. When administering fresh ginger to children, adjust the dosage according to age and weight to avoid overdose.
Chemical Constituents
This product primarily contains essential oils: α-zingiberene, β-santalene, β-myrcene, 6-gingerol, 3-gingerol, 4-gingerol, 5-gingerol, 8-gingerol,10-gingerol, shogaol, zingerol, zingeron, and zingerone; it also contains various amino acids such as aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and serine.
Pharmacological Actions
This product has antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, immunosuppressive, antiemetic, gastric mucosal protective, sedative, and anticonvulsant effects, as well as effects on the cardiovascular system, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties.
Relevant Discussions
1. *Mingyi Bielu*: Indicated for headaches and nasal congestion caused by typhoid fever, as well as coughing and shortness of breath.
2. *Yaoxing Lun*: Indicated for fullness caused by phlegm, fluid retention, and qi stagnation; it descends qi. Both fresh and dried forms treat coughs, cure seasonal illnesses, and stop vomiting and loss of appetite.
3. *Yixue Qiyuan*: Neutralizes the toxicity of *Houpo* and *Banxia*… warms the middle burner and dispels dampness.
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. To treat wind-cold colds, it can be decocted alone or combined with brown sugar and scallion whites. When used with pungent-warm exterior-releasing herbs such as Guizhi and Qianghuo, it enhances the efficacy of inducing sweating and resolving exterior pathogens.
2. To treat cold patterns of the spleen and stomach, it should be used with warming herbs such as Gaoliangjiang and black pepper. For cases of spleen-stomach qi deficiency, it should be combined with spleen-tonifying and qi-nourishing herbs such as Ginseng and Atractylodes macrocephala.
3. For vomiting due to stomach cold, it can be combined with Gaoliangjiang and White Cardamom, which warm the stomach and stop vomiting. For vomiting caused by phlegm-fluid retention, it is often combined with Banxia to form the Xiaobanxia Decoction (from *Jin Gui Yao Lue*); for vomiting caused by stomach heat, it can be combined with Huanglian, Zhuru, and Loquat Leaves, which clear stomach heat and stop vomiting.
4. For treating coughs caused by lung cold: if wind-cold has invaded the lungs, resulting in a cough with excessive phlegm, aversion to cold, and headache, it is often used in combination with Ephedra and Apricot Kernel, as in the San’ao Decoction (*Heji Jufang*). For cases with excessive phlegm but no external pathogenic factors affecting the exterior, it is commonly combined with Dried Tangerine Peel and Pinellia, as in the Erchen Decoction (*Heji Jufang*).
Related Compatibility
1. Ginger and Red Dates: Ginger induces sweating to release exterior pathogens, dispels cold, and harmonizes the stomach; red dates tonify qi, harmonize the middle, and nourish the spleen. When combined, they nourish the spleen and stomach and harmonize the ying and wei qi. When used in formulas for releasing the exterior, they can dispel wind and harmonize the ying and wei qi; when used in formulas for strengthening the spleen and regulating qi, they tonify and regulate the spleen and stomach. This combination is a commonly used herbal pairing for treating wind-cold invasion in cases of constitutional deficiency or internal injury to the spleen and stomach.
2. Ginger Juice Combined with Bamboo Sap: Ginger juice excels at harmonizing the middle burner, dispersing, and resolving phlegm, while also counteracting the cold nature of bamboo sap; bamboo sap excels at clearing heat, resolving phlegm, calming convulsions, and unblocking the meridians. When combined, they are highly effective at eliminating phlegm and unblocking the meridians. This combination is commonly used to treat cough and wheezing due to phlegm-heat, headaches, aphasia following a stroke, and numbness in the limbs.
3. Ginger paired with bamboo shavings: Ginger excels at warming the middle burner and stopping vomiting; bamboo shavings excel at clearing heat and stopping vomiting. When combined, their efficacy in descending rebellious qi and stopping vomiting is even more pronounced. Furthermore, the warming and clearing properties balance each other, ensuring that the formula is warming without being drying and clearing without being harsh. It thus achieves the effects of descending rebellious qi and harmonizing the stomach without the drawbacks of excessive cold or heat. This combination is suitable for all cases of vomiting, nausea, and belching caused by upward rebellion of stomach qi.For cases with a predominance of heat, add Coptis, Reed Root, and Loquat Leaf; for cases with a predominance of cold, add White Cardamom, Tangerine Peel, and Pinellia.
4. Ginger Juice Combined with White Honey: Ginger juice, with its pungent and dispersing nature, resolves phlegm, disperses nodules, and stops vomiting; white honey is moisturizing, nourishes yin, alleviates dryness, and promotes bowel movements. When combined, the pungent opening and moisturizing descent work together synergistically to achieve the effects of dispersing nodules, promoting descent, and resolving stagnation. This combination is commonly used to treat patients with hiccups who also present with chest and epigastric fullness, nausea, phlegm and saliva, and dry, hard stools.
5. Ginger Juice Combined with Radish Juice: Ginger juice has a pungent and dispersing nature, helping to resolve phlegm, disperse nodules, harmonize the stomach, and stop vomiting; radish juice regulates qi, relieves chest congestion, and soothes the diaphragm. When combined, they work to resolve phlegm, disperse nodules, descend qi, and harmonize the stomach. This combination is commonly used to treat children with coughing, wheezing, excessive phlegm, and poor appetite.
Medicinal Identification
1. Perilla and Ginger: Both perilla and ginger are pungent and warm in nature, entering the Lung and Spleen meridians; they can induce sweating to release the exterior and dispel cold, as well as neutralize the toxicity of fish and crab. When used together, they can treat symptoms of wind-cold invasion, such as chills, fever, headache, and nasal congestion, as well as abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea caused by poisoning from consuming fish or crab.However, Perilla not only relieves exterior symptoms and dispels cold externally but also regulates qi and soothes the middle jiao internally, while also possessing mild phlegm-resolving and cough-suppressing effects. Therefore, it is particularly suitable for cases of wind-cold exterior syndrome complicated by qi stagnation, presenting with fullness and oppression in the chest and epigastrium, nausea, and vomiting, or coughing, wheezing, and excessive phlegm. Additionally, Perilla can regulate qi and stabilize the fetus, making it useful for treating spleen-stomach qi stagnation with chest tightness and vomiting;upward-reversing fetal qi causing chest tightness and vomiting, as well as fetal restlessness due to qi stagnation; and plum-kernel qi syndrome resulting from emotional stagnation and phlegm-induced qi stagnation. Ginger excels at warming the middle burner to stop vomiting, warming the lungs to relieve cough, and neutralizing the toxicity of Pinellia and Aconite. It is also commonly used for cold patterns in the spleen and stomach, including cold invading the middle burner or spleen-stomach deficiency-cold manifesting as cold pain in the epigastrium, poor appetite, and vomiting;Since it is inherently a warming agent for the stomach, it is most suitable for vomiting caused by stomach cold; it can also be used for coughs due to lung cold, regardless of whether there is an external invasion of wind-cold or whether phlegm is abundant or scant; when treating toxicity from Pinellia or Aconite, or when processing Pinellia or Aconite, ginger is used to reduce their toxicity.
2. Green Onion Whites and Ginger:Both scallion whites and ginger are common household ingredients; both can induce sweating and release the exterior to dispel wind-cold pathogens, and both can be used to treat wind-cold colds. However, scallion whites excel at warming and promoting the flow of yang qi throughout the body and dispersing cold stagnation; they are often used for conditions such as yin excess repelling yang, loose stools with a faint pulse, and abdominal pain due to yin cold. Additionally, they have the ability to clear toxins and disperse nodules; when applied topically, they can treat boils, carbuncles, and breast distension and pain.Ginger excels at warming the middle burner and stopping vomiting; it is known as the “sacred medicine for vomiting” and is commonly used to treat various types of vomiting, particularly vomiting caused by stomach cold. It can also warm the lungs to relieve coughs and neutralize the toxicity of Pinellia and Aconite. It is frequently used for cold patterns in the spleen and stomach, including cold pain in the epigastric region, poor appetite, and vomiting resulting from cold invading the middle burner or deficiency-cold of the spleen and stomach;it can be used for coughs due to lung cold, regardless of whether there is an external invasion of wind-cold or whether phlegm is abundant or scant; when toxicity from Pinellia or Aconite occurs, or when processed Pinellia or Aconite is used, ginger is employed to reduce their toxicity.
3. Dried Ginger vs. Fresh Ginger: Dried ginger and fresh ginger come from the same plant and both possess the efficacy of warming the middle burner and dispelling cold, treating various conditions caused by cold in the middle burner.The difference lies in the fact that fresh ginger is the fresh rhizome harvested in the current year; its medicinal action is relatively mild. It acts both on the exterior and the interior: when acting on the exterior, it induces sweating, relieves exterior syndromes, and dispels cold, treating mild cases of wind-cold common cold; when acting on the interior, it warms the middle burner to stop vomiting and stimulate appetite, and warms the lungs to relieve cough, treating vomiting due to stomach cold, indigestion, and wind-cold cough.Dried ginger, on the other hand, is the dried rhizome from previous years—commonly known as “old dried ginger”—and has a stronger medicinal effect. Its action is specifically directed inward; it excels at warming the middle burner and dispelling cold, restoring yang and unblocking the meridians, and warming the lungs to transform phlegm-fluid, treating abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea caused by yang deficiency and cold in the middle burner, as well as yang collapse and phlegm-fluid-induced wheezing and cough. Additionally, it is traditionally believed that fresh ginger neutralizes the toxicity of fish and crabs, as well as that of raw Pinellia and raw Aconite.
Related Medicines
Cinnamon Twig Compound, Substitute Moxibustion Ointment, Linggui Cough and Asthma Relief Capsules, Gastric Ulcer Relief Granules, Hair-Growth Tincture.
Related Prescriptions
Gui Zhi Decoction (*Treatise on Cold Damage*), Xiao Ban Xia Decoction (*Essentials of the Golden Cabinet*), Sheng Jiang Xie Xin Decoction (*Treatise on Cold Damage*), Er Chen Decoction (*Formulas of the Bureau of Medicinal Preparations*), San Ao Decoction (*Formulas of the Bureau of Medicinal Preparations*).
Medicinal Diet Therapy
A medicinal dish featuring ginger is the Perilla, Ginger, and Red Date Soup.
1. Benefits: It warms the stomach, dispels cold, aids digestion, and promotes the flow of qi; it is an excellent medicinal dish for warming the stomach.
2. Ingredients: 10 g fresh perilla leaves, 3 pieces of ginger, 15 g red dates.
3. Preparation: First, rinse the red dates thoroughly in clean water. Then remove the pits from the dates, slice the ginger, and shred the fresh perilla leaves. Place the perilla leaves, ginger slices, and red dates together in a clay pot filled with warm water and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.After 30 minutes, remove the perilla leaves, red dates, and ginger slices from the pot. Then, pick out the red dates and return them to the pot; continue simmering over low heat for another 15 minutes until ready.
4. Usage: Take after dinner.
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with Chinese herbal medicine should first consult a licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital, where a TCM practitioner will conduct a professional pattern differentiation and prescribe an herbal formula.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvested in the fall and winter seasons; remove fibrous roots and soil, slice, and use raw.
Processing Methods
1. Fresh Ginger: Take fresh ginger and remove impurities. Wash thoroughly and slice as needed.
2. Roasted Ginger: Take a piece of ginger and place it over a smokeless fire until half-cooked; or wrap the ginger in several layers of straw paper, moisten it, and place it on a stove top or in hot ashes. Roast until the paper turns charred yellow and the ginger is half-cooked, then remove it, discard the paper, and slice it thinly. After roasting, its ability to relieve exterior syndromes is reduced; it is primarily used to warm the middle burner to stop vomiting and to treat abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Storage Methods
Store fresh ginger in a cool, damp place or bury it in damp sand. Store roasted ginger in a container in a well-ventilated, dry place.
Crude Drug Identification
Properties of Crude Drugs
The rhizome is irregularly lumpy, slightly flattened, and has finger-like branches, measuring 4–18 cm in length and 1–3 cm in thickness. The surface is yellowish-brown or grayish-brown, with nodes; the tips of the branches bear stem scars or buds. It is brittle and breaks easily; the fracture surface is pale yellow, with a distinct annular pattern of the inner pericycle and scattered vascular bundles. It has a fragrant, distinctive aroma and a pungent, spicy taste.
Properties of Processed Slices
This product consists of irregular tuberous pieces or thick slices, slightly flattened, 1–3 cm thick. The periphery is yellowish-brown or grayish-brown, with annulations; some pieces have stem scars or buds. The texture is brittle; the cross-section is pale yellow, with distinct annular patterns of the inner phloem and scattered vascular bundles. It has a distinctive aromatic odor and a pungent taste.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Zingiber officinale, a plant of the genus Zingiber in the family Zingiberaceae.
Morphological Characteristics
A perennial herb, 50–80 cm tall. The rhizome is thick and fleshy; its cross-section is yellowish-white, with a strong, pungent odor. Leaves are alternate, arranged in two rows, sessile, and nearly clasping the stem; the ligule is 2–4 mm long;the leaf blade is lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, 15–30 cm long and 1.5–2.2 cm wide, with a gradually tapering apex and a narrow base; the leaf base is sheathing and clasping the stem, glabrous. The flower stalk emerges from the rhizome, 15–25 cm long; the spike-like inflorescence is elliptical, 4–5 cm long;bracts ovate, about 2.5 cm long, pale green, with pale yellow margins and a small apex; calyx tube about 1 cm long, with 3 short, pointed teeth; corolla yellowish-green, tube 2–2.5 cm long, with 3 lobes, lanceolate, less than 2 cm long; the middle lobe of the lip oblong-obovate, shorter than the corolla lobes.It bears purple stripes and pale yellow spots; the lateral lobes are ovate. Yellowish-green, with purple margins; 1 stamen, dark purple, anther approximately 9 mm long. The connective appendage encloses the style; ovary 3-chambered, glabrous; 1 style; stigma nearly spherical. Capsule. Numerous seeds, black. Flowering period: August.
Distribution Area
Cultivated in provinces across central, southeastern, and southwestern China.
Growth Habits
It prefers a warm and humid climate, is not cold-tolerant, and is sensitive to excessive moisture and direct strong sunlight. It should not be grown in the same field consecutively. It is best cultivated on sloping or slightly shaded plots. Soils ranging from sandy loam to heavy loam with a deep, loose, fertile, and well-drained topsoil are suitable.
Propagation Methods
Propagated using rhizomes (seed ginger).
Cultivation Techniques
Plant in holes or in rows. When harvesting ginger in the fall, select rhizomes that are plump, pale yellow, glossy, and free of disease or insect damage to use as seed ginger. Store them in a cellar or indoors in layers with fine sand for later use.In southern regions from January to April, and in northern regions in May, remove the seed ginger and keep it warm to stimulate sprouting. Then cut the seed ginger into small pieces, retaining 1–2 strong sprouts on each piece. For hole planting, dig holes with a row spacing of 40 cm and a plant spacing of 30 cm, 13–17 cm deep. First, pour manure water into the holes; after it has seeped into the soil, place one piece of seed ginger flat in each hole, and finally cover with fine compost.For row planting, dig furrows with a row spacing of 40 cm. After applying base fertilizer, plant the ginger at a spacing of 27 cm between plants. Cover with soil until it is level with the ground. In the Sichuan growing region, great care is taken regarding planting depth: deep planting (digging holes about 30 cm deep) followed by continuous hilling produces fresh ginger, which is the source of fresh ginger; shallow planting (digging holes 5–10 cm deep) produces medicinal ginger, which is the source of dried ginger.
Pest and Disease Control
1. Diseases include rot, commonly known as “ginger blight,” which is prone to occur during hot and rainy seasons. Soak seeds in Bordeaux mixture for 10 minutes; when the disease appears, remove infected plants and disinfect the affected holes by sprinkling lime.
2. Insect pests include the Asian corn borer, which damages ginger stems from August to September. Drench the heart leaves with a 1,000-fold dilution of 90% diazinon. The ginger moth’s larvae feed on the leaves; spray with a 1,500-fold dilution of 80% dichlorvos to control them.