GINGER PHARMACY
Reed-like tropical plant of the ginger family. One of the oldest spice plants. Not found in the wild. It is cultivated in many states of the tropical zone: in India, Australia, etc.
The rhizome of ginger is horizontal, tuberous dissected, with basal scaly leaves emerging on the surface of the earth. In the axils of the leaves, buds are formed that form false stems with leaves up to 1 m high or peduncles (up to 25 cm). The leaves covering the false stems are alternate, and their sheaths enter one into the other. Leaves entire, linear-lanceolate. The flowers are placed one at a time in the groove-, hah bracts. Under normal conditions of culture, ginger does not form fruits and reproduces exclusively by pieces of rhizomes.
Medicinal raw materials are rhizomes, which are harvested after 6-10 months after planting – after wilting and drying of the aerial part of the plant.
Dry rhizomes contain essential oil (from 2 to 3.5%). The main component of the oil is terpene-zingibirin (within 70%).
In medicine, ginger rhizomes are used for digestive disorders with nausea and vomiting, poor appetite, flatulence, chronic enteritis, urinary retention, edema, rheumatism, and for gargling with sore throats.
In East Asian folk medicine, crushed. rhizomes are prescribed for headaches of a neuralgic and spasmodic nature, bronchial asthma, as an antitrachoma (antitrachomatous) agent.
Ginger root is chewed or taken as an infusion, a powder for motion sickness (sickness) during sea, air and long road trips.