Zingiber officinale Roscoe, 1807

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 171

Zingiber officinale Roscoe

Names.

Myanmar: gyin, lacow-sacopf, lagoe-htaneg (Mon). English: Canton ginger, common ginger, true ginger.

Range.

Tropical southeastern Asia. Also, cultivated in the tropics and in Myanmar.

Uses.

Stem (Rhizome): Both sweet and bitter, the rhizome’s cooling properties stimulate appetite and regulate bowels, phlegm, and gall bladder function. Used as a diuretic and a poison antidote, the rhizome is also considered a remedy for laryngitis, chest and respiratory ailments, infected sores, and inflammation caused by injury. Rhizome juice- mixed with honey, used to treat colds, runny noses, coughs, asthma, and bronchitis; mixed with onion juice, taken for nausea and for hiccups; mixed in equal parts with juice from pin-sein ( Ocimum americanum , lemon basil or O. basilicum ) leaves and sweetened with honey, used to treat cholera. Warmed, pure rhizome juice is used as ear drops for earaches; also can be cooked together with sesame oil and used as a rub applied to inflamed joints to ease inflammation and pain. Chewed and kept in place at the affected areas, the rhizome alleviates toothaches. Boiled together with jaggery and betel ( Piper betle ) leaves, the rhizome liquid is taken as a cure for influenza, digestive aid, and blood purifier for new mothers.

Notes.

Medicinal uses of this species in India are discussed in Jain and DeFilipps (1991). Medicinal use of this species in China is discussed by Duke and Ayensu (1985). Perry (1980) also discussed the medicinal uses of the species.

Reference.

Agricultural Corporation (1980).