Ginger

Ginger is the common name of Zingiber officinale Roscoe plant and a majority of people are familiar with its rhizomes which are used in culinary and medicinal preparations. Ginger is native to Asian subcontinent and it was first cultivated in South East Asia [Khan et al 2016]. It migrated to Europe by Greek and Roman times and was used as digestive aids wrapped in bread. Ginger is now cultivated in the tropical regions from both hemispheres of the earth and India is the largest producer (~1/3rd of the world’s production), followed by China and Nigeria [Dhanik et al. 2017].

Zingiber officinale Roscoe Plant Description

Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Ginger) is a flowering herbaceous plant from Zingiberaceae family and other popular plants of this family include turmeric (Curcuma longa) and cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum). Ginger plant grows up to 3-4 feet in height with its stem modified into root (Ginger root) while the above ground part of stem bears ovate elongated leaves. Ginger develops clusters of flowers which can be white-yellow or pinkish red in color.

Scientific Classification of Ginger Plant

• Kingdom: Plantae (Plants)
• Sub-kingdom: Tracheobionta (Vascular plants)
• Super-division: Spermatophyta (Seed producing plants)
• Division: Magnoliophyta (Angiosperms or flowers producing plants)
• Class: Liliopsida (Monocotyledons or Monocots)
• Order:  Zingiberales
• Family: Zingiberaceae (Ginger family)
• Genus: Zingiber Mill.  (Ginger)
• Species: Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Garden ginger)

Phytochemical Ingredients of Ginger

Ginger is composed of starch (up to 50%), lipids (6 to 8%), proteins, and inorganic compounds including Potassium, Manganese, Zinc, Iron, Niacin, and Phosphorus [EMA 2012]. Ginger also has volatile or essential oils (~4%) and over 100 phytochemicals including terpenoids or Sesquiterpenoids such as α-Zingiberene, Zingiberol, β-Sesquiphellandrene etc. and smaller amounts of Monoterpenoids such as Camphene, Cineole, Geraniol etc [Sharifi-Rad et al 2017]. Ginger also contains non-volatile pungent phytochemicals (~7.5%) such as Gingerols, Shogaols, Paradols, and Zingerone which are responsible of spicy flavor [Dhanik 2017].

*Key Medicinal Benefits

Ginger is listed in the FDA’s “safe” list (FOOD US 2014), and besides traditional wisdom, there has been several pre-clinical and clinical studies in support of Ginger’s diverse medicinal effects. Hundreds of phytochemicals have been identified and isolated from Ginger rhizomes but its major biological activities have been mainly ascribed to Gingerols, Paradols, Shogaols, which are among Ginger’s most active ingredients (Rahmani et al 2014, Dhanik et al 2017, Sharifi-Rad et al 2017). Some of these key biological and medicinal activities are

• Anti-oxidant activity.
• Anti-cancer
• Anti-inflammatory
• Anti-analgesic
• Anti-microbial
• Hepato-protective
• Anti-bacterial
• Anti-emetic

SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES

1. Rahmani AH, Shabrmi FM, Aly SM. 2014. Active ingredients of ginger as potential candidates in the prevention and treatment of diseases via modulation of biological activities. Int J Physiol Pathophysiol Pharmacol. 6(2): 125-136 [PMID: 25057339].
2. FOOD US. Drug Administration Code of Federal Regulations Title 21. Department of Health and Human Services, ed. 21CFR20157. Washington: US Food and Drug Administration; 2014.
3. Khan S., Pandotra P., Qazi A., Lone S., Muzafar M., Gupta A., Gupta S. Medicinal and nutritional qualities of Zingiber officinale. In: Watson R.R., Preedy V.R., editors. Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs.Academic Press; Oxford, UK: 2016. pp. 525–550.
4. Dhanik J., Arya N., Nand V. A review on Zingiber officinale. J. Pharmacogn. Phytochem. 2017;6:174–184.
5. European Medicines Agency (EMA) Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC) Assessment Report on Zingiber Officinale Roscoe, Rhizome. European Medicines Agency; London, UK: 2012.
6. Sharifi-Rad M., Varoni E.M., Salehi B., Sharifi-Rad J., Matthews K.R., Ayatollahi S.A., Kobarfard F., Ibrahim S.A., Mnayer D., Zakaria Z.A., et al. Plants of the genus Zingiber as a source of bioactive phytochemicals: From tradition to pharmacy. Molecules. 2017;22 doi: 10.3390/molecules22122145.

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