GINGER

BRIEF HISTORY
Ginger is a medicinal plant that belongs to the pseudo-stemmed rhizome category. It originated in the Asia-Pacific region, ranging from India to China. Consequently, both nations are often credited as the first to utilize ginger, primarily as a beverage ingredient, spice for cooking, and traditional medicine.
Ginger belongs to the Zingiberaceae family, in the same family as other rhizomes like turmeric (Curcuma xanthorrhiza), black turmeric (Curcuma aeruginosa), turmeric (Curcuma domestica), fingerroot (Kaempferia galanga), galangal (Languas galanga), among others. Regional names for ginger include halia (Aceh), beeuing (Gayo), bahing (Batak Karo), sipodeh (Minangkabau), jahi (Lampung), jahe (Sunda), jae (Jawa and Bali), jhai (Madura), melito (Gorontalo), geraka (Ternate), and more.
PLANT DESCRIPTION
a. Classification
Division: Spermatophyta
Sub-division: Angiospermae
Class: Monocotyledoneae
Order: Zingiberales
Family: Zingiberaceae
Genus: Zingiber
Species: Zingiber officinale
b. Description
Ginger is a pseudo-stemmed herb, growing to a height of 30 cm to 1 m. When cut, its rhizome is yellow or orange. The leaves are narrow, measuring 15 – 23 mm in length and 8 – 15 mm in width, with fuzzy leaf stalks, measuring 2 – 4 mm. The leaf blades are elongated, measuring 7.5 – 10 mm, and they are not fuzzy, with slightly fuzzy sheaths.
The inflorescence appears as a protruding spike on the ground, either cylindrical or narrowly egg-shaped, 2.75 – 3 times its width, very sharp. The spike is 3.5 – 5 cm in length and 1.5 – 1.75 cm wide. The flower stalk is almost non-fuzzy, 25 cm long, with 5 – 7 lance-shaped scales closely packed on it, each measuring 3 – 5 cm. The protective leaf is inversely egg-shaped, round at its tip, not fuzzy, and bright green, measuring 2.5 cm in length and 1 – 1.75 cm in width. The flower corolla is tubular, 2 – 2.5 cm long, somewhat narrow, sharply shaped, yellowish-green, measuring 1.5 – 2.5 mm in length and 3 – 3.5 mm in width. The lips are dark purple, speckled with white to yellowish spots, measuring 12 – 15 mm. The stamen head is purple, 9 mm long, with a 2-pronged pistil stalk.
c. Types of Ginger (Small white/yellow ginger, also known as “jahe sunti” or “jahe emprit”)
This type of ginger has small segments, somewhat flat to slightly swollen. It is typically harvested when mature. It contains more essential oil than elephant ginger, making it spicier, in addition to having high fiber content. It is suitable for herbal remedies or for extracting oleoresin and essential oil.
PLANT USES
Ginger rhizome is used as a spice, flavor enhancer, and aroma provider in foods such as bread, cakes, biscuits, confections, and various beverages. Ginger is also utilized in the pharmaceutical industry, perfumes, traditional herbal medicine, pickled ginger, salads, hot drinks, desserts, and syrups.
In recent times, ginger is used by chili farmers as a natural pesticide. In the market, ginger is sold fresh, dried, as ginger powder, and ginger preserves. Processed ginger products include essential oil and oleoresin obtained through distillation, which are used as additives in alcoholic beverages, ice cream, sausages, and more.
Pharmacologically, ginger serves as a carminative (gas reliever), antiemetic, antispasmodic, anti-hardening of arteries, diaphoretic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antiparasitic, antipyretic, antirheumatic, and stimulates gastric and bile secretion.
GINGER’S HEALTH BENEFITS
Ginger is utilized as a herbal remedy due to its essential oil content containing active chemical compounds such as zingiberene, camphor, lemonene, borneol, shogaol, cineole, phellandrene, zingiberol, gingerol, and zingerone, which are effective in preventing and treating various ailments.
According to Goulart (1995), ginger can be used to treat vertigo, nausea, motion sickness, fever, cough, menstrual disorders, cancer, and heart disease.
In the book “Ragam dan Khasiat Tanaman Obat” (Variety and Efficacy of Medicinal Plants), Santoso (2008) states that ginger is effective for treating impotence, cough, muscle pain, headaches, rheumatism, back pain, and indigestion.
In traditional Balinese herbal medicine (Usada Bali), ginger is commonly used to treat rheumatism and impotence (Nala, 1992).
Reader’s Digest (2004) suggests that ginger can prevent motion sickness, alleviate nausea, and reduce pain during menstruation.
According to Ware (2017), ginger is beneficial for addressing digestive disorders that pose a risk of colorectal cancer and constipation, curing the flu, relieving nausea in pregnant women, reducing pain during menstrual cycles, lowering bad cholesterol (LDL) and triglycerides in the blood, preventing cancer (due to 6-gingerol activity), especially pancreatic, breast, and ovarian cancers, improving brain function, addressing Alzheimer’s disease, and mitigating the risk of various infections.
In his article titled ‘Benefits of Spices for Health,’ Suparyo (2014) suggests that ginger has anti-histamine properties useful for treating stress, allergies, fatigue, headaches, throat discomfort, seasickness, and chemotherapy side effects. Additionally, ginger possesses anti-inflammatory properties, making it beneficial for treating joint inflammation, muscle issues, lowering bad cholesterol, and maintaining heart health.
As a raw material for traditional medicine, Red Ginger (Jahe Sunti or Red Ginger) is often preferred due to its high percentage of essential oil content, particularly gingerol, and oleoresin, which provide a stronger bitter and spicy taste compared to elephant ginger and small ginger. Red ginger is used as a laxative, anthelmintic, and reliever for flatulence. It is known for its ability to warm the body, stimulate appetite, promote perspiration, and prevent or treat flatulence. Additionally, ginger is used to address throat inflammation (bronchitis), rheumatism, back pain, impotence, stomach pain, boost body stamina, relieve asthma, treat headaches, muscle pain, premature ejaculation, and stimulate breast milk production (ASI) (Sudewo, 2006).