Published in the 'Aromtherapy Times' Vol 1- No 63

Journal of the International Federation of Aromatherapists
                                    

                                              Ginger: Plant & Root            

The name Ginger is derived from the Sanskrit word Sringavera (meaning shaped like a horn) and the plant originates from India, being commonly found in South East Asia.
The term “ginger” itself only refers to Zingiber officinale, and not to any related species (or false gingers) all from the ginger family such as Alpinia, Amomum, Curcuma, Elettarria, Hedychium & Kaempferia. Zingiber officinale belongs to the botanical family of the Zingiberaceae. The essential oil of ginger is extracted from the rhizome by distillation

Historical Use.
Dioscorides and Hildegarde de Bingen make many references to ginger as an indispensable ingredient of many medicinal remedies of their times. Ginger also had a reputation for being the remedy that could cure some of the most difficult and chronic ailments. The distilled water or hydrosol was considered the best to cure for ophthalmic problems and large provisions of ginger were included as an essential ‘must take’ for seafaring travellers because of its anti-scorbutic virtues (and perhaps because its alleged value in travel sickness).

Some physicians regularly used it as a remedy to counter violent temper and hysteria and the treatment for such conditions involved making the patients smoke without their knowledge, dried, finely shredded ginger roots out of a hollowed reed instead of tobacco. Along with Cinnamon, Ginger was high on the list of culinary ingredients and was and still is a very appreciated addition to food in England. Although not quite as popular as it used to be, the consumption of ginger is still fairly high in the UK and this is reflected in traditional ginger beer, ginger brandy, ginger champagnes, ginger wines and gingerbread men.

Ginger has also been held in great respect in various part of the world and I read somewhere that the Inhabitants of a small Pacific Ocean island have been using it as ‘magic medicine’ where the chewed up root is spat on the sick as a cure for both mental or physical illnesses! Somehow I would not 

recommend that you try it on your clients!

In Traditional Chinese Medicine

Ginger is very widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. It is said to be a Yang/spleen remedy and is supportive to the spleen, stomach and kidneys (the later is specially indicated for men and it is classified as an aphrodisiac and considered a good remedy for impotence).

In Arabic Medicine

Ginger is said to be hot in the second degree and moist in the first. It is warming and has a softening effect on the belly, it is beneficial to the body against digestive ailments such as flatulence, food poisoning and constipation.

In Western Medecine

Ginger holds just as an important place in Western medicine as it does in Eastern medicine (China, Japan and India to name but a few). It has been used on its own or included as an ingredient in specific herbal formula and also used as a ‘corrective remedy’ against the unwanted effects of other plants. It has been verified in recent research that ginger has the unique property of helping other remedies to be better accepted and assimilated by the body.

Caution:

The essential oil has hypertensive properties and should not be used on people with high blood pressure. It can be a skin irritant and can cause irritation on people with sensitive skins or with eczema.

My own experience of using ginger oil:

Ginger as a plant or in the oil form is highly recommended for people with a phlegmatic temperament - slow or laid back temperament with a tendency to suffer from mucous producing ailments- or a melancholic temperament - withdrawn and very private with a tendency to unexplained sadness and often looking pale and languid constitution.
Ginger quickly warms up the body and is highly indicated for individuals suffering from ailments caused by cold and damp conditions, it fires up the digestive system and disperses stagnant states, it moves around circulation and is very helpful for chronically cold extremities or with a sluggish lymphatic system.

While the root is good for preventing possible food poisoning, the oil has helped some people in my circle to recover quicker from an unfortunate boot of food related upset. It can counter the negative effects on the digestive system of too much consumption of cold or stale foods.

The virtues of ginger oil that seemed to be more in evidence during my years in practice are as follow:

- it is carminative and a good laxative as it expels stagnant food remains from the

   digestive system.
- As an expectorant and sudorific, it warms up the lungs and dries excess moisture

  and helps expel mucous from the respiratory system.
- It is a rubeficient and is often included to good effect in sport massage creams and lotions.

Inhalations of ginger oil are very beneficial to the whole body as it strengthens vital organs such as the kidneys and the lungs and act as a tonic. Ginger is known to do many other things but this could easily make the subject of a book.

Uses:

I have myself used it over many years for any sort of throat and chest infection with mucous discharge and spasmodic cough to clear successfully some of the most persistent infections.

Recipe:
You can grate a piece of ginger root with plenty of honey and half a freshly squeezed lemon juice in a glass of hot water in conjunction with any other conventional medications/treatments that may be taken at the time.

A tincture of ginger can be made by macerating the fresh roots with 40%+ alcohol for a week and add small amounts to a herb tea, as a tonic throughout the cold months of winter and for the prevention of colds and flue epidemics.

                                                                                                                                                              

     Chemistry of Ginger essential oil by Tony Burfield

Ginger Oil Chinese analysis (©2004 Tony Burfield unpublished data)
 
 

Ginger oil odour profile.

Bednarcyzyk & Kramer (1975) showed that neral, geranial, ??-terpineol, sesquiphellandrene and ar-curcumene are important for the lemon, earthy and woody aspects of the ginger odour profile.

Reference: Bednarczyk A.A. & Kramer A. (1975) “Identifcation and evaluation of the flavour significant components of ginger essential oil” Chem Senses Flav. 1, 377-386.

Listing of the different types of ginger oils:
Ginger absolute Nigerian
Ginger oil Terpeneless Nigerian
Ginger “Total” CO2 extract
Ginger “Select” CO2 extract
Ginger oil, Chinese (Huan)
Ginger oil Indian(Cochin)
Ginger oil Jamaica
Ginger oil Sierra Leone

                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

 

Ginger Recipes by Doreen Bennett © 2005

Ginger, as we know and love it, consists of the fresh, dried or crystallised roots of Zingiber officinale. The name Zingiber is derived from the Sanskrit word for horn- shaped and refers to the protuberances on the rhizome. The individual divisions of the rhizomes are known as ‘hands.


Ginger has been cultivated for so long that its exact origins are unclear, but we know it has been cultivated in China and India for thousands of years and used and enjoyed in the West since Roman times. The use of ginger is recorded in the C13 Th work, ‘Physicians of Myddffai', which is a collection of recipes and prescriptions by the physician, Rhiwallon, and his sons.
By the C13 and C14 it was being used in English diets and was second only to pepper as the most popular spice. It was part of the Western experience before potatoes, corn or tomatoes

In Chinese medicine it was, and still is, used medicinally to expel cold, relieve nausea and ‘strengthen the stomach’. It is now a universal well known and much used domestic remedy.
For comfort against chills fresh ginger and cinnamon tea cannot be bettered .
However, it is with the pure enjoyment of Ginger that this article is concerned.

Ginger Ice Cream - to die for- and for a very special occasion. – a blending of opposites

Serves 4-8. 8oz sugar 1Pint milk 10 oz double cream 1 tsp ground ginger

8 medium egg yolks Zest of one orange 12 oz jar stem ginger ½ tsp vanilla essence

Combine sugar milk, cream, ground ginger and orange zest in a pan and bring to the oil
Remove from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 5-10 mins.
Beat egg yolks lightly, pour into the ginger cream and mix until the custard is light and foamy.
Transfer the custard to the pan and cook over a LOW heat until it coats the back of a spoon
Pour the ginger custard into a bowl. Cover with a plate. Sit the bowl in a large bowl filled with cracked ice and let the custard cool completely.

Drain the syrup from the stem ginger and reserve. Slice four pieces thinly and reserve for garnish. Chop the remaining ginger finely and add with the vanilla essence into the cool custard. Stir. Chill the custard – covered – for two hours, then freeze- either with an ice cream maker or in a freezer. (If using a freezer as it begins to harden remove from the freezer and beat with a whisk. Continue freezing) About an hour before serving transfer to fridge to soften Serve sprinkled with sliced ginger, and dribble a little of the reserved syrup over the top.

’ On a visit to Japan, and discussing with Aromatherapy students the use of Ginger essential oil, I caused some amusement by suggesting that the warming results of the oil could be very
valuable if one drop was used in a blend. The comment was that ‘ we don’t use it in massage, we eat it!’ So here is a Japanese recipe using fresh ginger- shoga.
.
Fried Pork in a Ginger Marinade                                                                

Serves Four 4 pork loin slices about ½ “ thick/1cm, about 14oz in total 2 tomatoes punnet of cress mixed salad leaves 1 1/2 teaspoons oil for cooking For the marinade ¾ oz fresh ginger 4 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp Sake or dry white wine

To prepare the marinade grate the ginger and squeeze well to give 5ml ginger juice
Mix together with the soy sauce and the sake or wine Place the pork loin in a shallow dish and pour over the marinade, making sure they are coated well on both sides. Set aside for 15 minutes

Heat the oil in a frying pan. Place the pork in the pan in a single layer and cover with the marinade. Fry over a medium- high heat, turning once until nicely golden on both sides

Serve with the salad leaves, tomatoes and cress. Pour any pan juices over the pork. .
This is complemented by serving with plain boiled rice

In India, it is a popular remedy for cough and asthma was the juice of fresh ginger with a little juice of garlic mixed with honey. To allay nausea, fresh ginger was mixed with a little honey and topped off with a pinch of burnt peacock feather!!!

I’d rather have:
Chocolate Ginger Cake                                                                                                               

5oz caster sugar 5oz-unsalted butter 3 Large eggs 3 tablespoons of the syrup from a jar of stem ginger 5oz self-raising flour 1 ½ oz cocoa powder