Ginger Zingiber officinale One of the so-called 'Wet Trinity'of Indian cooking, ginger, takes it Latin generic name, Zingiber, from the Sanskrit for ‘horn-shaped’, singabela, emphasising this rhizome’s similarity in appearance to deer antlers. It is thought to have originated in Southeast Asia, but this is difficult to track back accurately, as it is now unknown in its wild state. Cultivated since the 6th century B.C. by first the Chinese and then the Indians, ginger made its way, courtesy of Arab traders, into southern Europe well before the rise of the Roman Empire. It soon became firmly established in both Europe's kitchen and its medicine chest. Its importance in medicine has been recorded in the very earliest texts; The Koran, The Talmud and The Bible all mention ginger. Confucius wrote about it in his Analects and the Greek physician, Dioscorides, listed ginger as an antidote to poisoning, as a digestive, and as being warming to the stomach in De Materia Medica. In Chinese medicine, ginger is lyang, hot, and is considered to be good for ailments associated with cold weather, such as colds, chills and poor circulation. Ginger certainly warmed English hearts very quickly: almost every sauce recipe to survive from the Middle Ages lists it as an ingredient and Tudor England loved it, making it into sweetmeats, cakes and patties. It was said to have been a particular favourite of Henry VIII - perhaps because of its reputation at that time of being a powerful aphrodisiac! Gingerbread became popular in Elizabethan times and it became a popular practice in Victorian society to nibble crystallised ginger after a meal when it was disclosed that Chinese medicine recommended it for the digestion. British country folklore and ‘white witchcraft’ used it in a similar way to galangal in ‘magic’ spells, to enhance and strengthen their power and Culpeper, the astrologer-herbalist, assigned its ruler as the planet Mars. Ayurveda uses ginger in both dried (sunthi) and fresh (adraka) forms. It is used for its warming effect and can be used by all three doshas, or life forces. It is said to strengthen the stomach, and to promote the secretion of saliva, aiding digestion and is used as a decongestant and anti-inflammatory. It is also used to treat colds and chills, rheumatism, diarrhoea and constipation. Unani Tibb also uses the rhizome as a digestive and to counter nausea and chest ailments. Modern science has, of course, analysed it very closely, as it does all foodstuff. 1 teaspoon of dried, ground ginger weighs approximately 1.8g and has an energy value of 6 kcal. It is high in carbohydrate and has no cholesterol. It does, however, contain vitamins A, Bl, B2, niacin, sodium, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium, copper and zinc. Fresh root ginger is high in vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant which helps to boost the immune system and is probably one of the reasons that it is one of several foodstuffs currently being investigated by several U.S. cancer research programmes for its anticarcinogenic properties. Its vitamin C content is almost certainly the reason that it was used by ancient Chinese sailors to prevent scurvy. Ginger has been used to help eliminate toxins from the body, as it promotes sweating and stimulates the circulation, and its antinausea properties are well-known, having long been used for morning sickness in pregnancy, travel sickness and, more recently, to help combat the nausea associated with chemotherapy. Externally, too, ginger is a potent weapon and is a major ingredient in anti-spasmodic rubbing oils and is said to relieve aching muscles and cramps and a warm ginger compress will relax menstrual cramps and pains.