Adrak

• Botanical Name(s): Zingiber Officinale

• Popular Name(s): Ginger, Ardrakam, Shunthi, Adrak, Sunth, Black Ginger, Race Ginger, African Ginger.

• Parts Used: Zingiberaceae

• Habitat: South East Asia and throughout India

Description: Ginger is a perennial root. In tuberous joints, it creeps and increases in size keeping itself under the ground. In spring, the root sends up a green reed, like a stalk, 2 feet high, with narrow lanceolate leaves. The flowering stalk rises from the root and ends up in an oblong scallop spike. Ginger produces flower buds which are white and pink in colour and bloom into yellow flowers

Uses: Ginger is used as a stimulant and as a carminative agent. Its young roots are juicy and fleshy with a very mild taste. Ginger is used as a flavouring agent. The flowers have an aromatic smell but the root is the most useful part of the plant. Ginger is used to cure alcoholic gastritis and diarrhoea. Ginger Tea is a hot infusion, very useful to cold. It helps in indigestion and in alcoholic gastritis also.HISTORY and USES

Ginger is original from Southeast Asia and is now cultivated in most tropical countries. Its citations in ancient texts go back to the 4th century B.C. The Greeks imported it from the East centuries before Discorides recorded its use in the 1st century A.D. Familiar as a spice and flavoring, ginger is also one of the world's best medicines. The Chinese consider ginger as an important drug to treat cold and encourage sweating. Ginger brings relief to digestion, stimulates circulation, reduce headaches and kill intestinal parasites.

One of the main benefits of the herbal ginger remedy is its ability to stimulate the circulatory system. The herb also helps in bringing an increased flow of blood to the surface of the skin; this singular property makes the ginger a very important herbal remedy for the treatment of conditions such as chilblains and to treat impaired circulation along the hands and feet of patients. The herb also effectively helps in controlling elevated or high blood pressure as it directly affects the circulation of blood. Perspiration in the body is increased by remedies made from the ginger and at the same time, the herb helps in bringing about a reduction in elevated body temperature during fevers.

Herbal remedies made from the ginger have a warming and soothing effect and help alleviate persistent coughs, all kinds of colds and flu, and other related problems of the respiratory system.

In China the fresh ginger and the dried ginger are used as two distinct and different herbal remedies. The Chinese system of medicine suggest the use of fresh ginger for the treatment of fevers, to treat headaches, and to alleviate the pain and discomfort of aching muscles in the body. At the same time, the dried ginger remedy is used for the treatment of internal colds, and for physical symptoms such as cold and clammy hands, a weakening of the pulse rate, and a pale or white complexion in patients.

The effectiveness of a hot ginger compress on various topically treated disorders cannot be compared to other herbal compresses, ginger compresses are used to treat muscular aches and pains, they are used in the treatment of joint stiffness, in the topical alleviation of abdominal cramps, in the treatment of kidney stone attacks, to treat stiffness in the neck, to treat neuralgia in different parts of the body. The ginger compresses can also topically treat toothache, they can be applied on the external body to treat bladder inflammation, they can be used in the treatment of prostatitis and extreme tension in the body. At the same time, disorders such as nausea, accumulated intestinal gas, and colic can also be treated using herbal remedies made from the ginger. Cases of motion sickness in women and especially, pregnancy related morning sickness can be treated using ginger remedies. The antiseptic qualities of the ginger endow it with great and extremely beneficial effects to deal with all manners of gastrointestinal infections; the remedy can effectively treat certain types of food poisoning as well. As with all herbal remedies and despite its effectiveness, bear in mind that a lot of time, significant effort, a lot of patience and a changed lifestyle on the part of the patient are requirements to make the treatment a complete success.

The value of the ginger as an herbal medication lies in its pungent and warming properties - which are essential to treat a lot of conditions. The herbal remedies made from the ginger have a very stimulating effect on the functioning of the heart and the circulation of blood in the body, the ginger helps in creating a feeling of warmth and well-being. The herb restores vitality and physical fitness; ginger is particularly effective in those individuals, who tend to deal badly with the cold during winter. Perspiration in the body is promoted by drinking the hot ginger tea, this tea also helps in reducing elevated temperatures during a fever and it helps in clearing away catarrh in the body. The remedies made from the ginger have a stimulating effect and affect an expectorant action inside the lungs, this result in the clearing of phlegm and helps relieve catarrhal coughs and related chest infections in different patients. The digestion is also aided by herbal remedies made from the ginger as the herb has a wonderful warming effect over the digestive system. The intestines as well as the stomach is invigorated by herbal remedies made from the ginger, the ginger herbal remedies also help in the stimulation of a weak appetite and at the same time, they enhance the process of digestion - the ginger encourages secretion of different digestive enzymes inside the stomach. The stagnation of food particles in the intestinal tract and the consequent accumulation of metabolic toxins can be cleared away using herbal remedies made from the ginger. The action of the ginger based remedies thus tend to have a very far-reaching effect in the body of patients, and this result in a beneficial increase in the general health and vitality of the person - besides obviously enhancing the total immunity of the body. The ability of the ginger to alleviate nausea and vomiting is famous, and whatever the cause, such sensations are easily dispensed with when the ginger remedies are used by the affected individuals. The herbal remedies made from the ginger also help in settling the stomach; it aids in soothing the symptoms associated with indigestion and helps in calming wind and flatulence. The relaxing and pain-relieving effects of the ginger are particularly relevant to disorders in the gut, where the remedy aids in relieving colic and spasms, it helps soothe abdominal pain, it helps the person in dealing with abdominal distension and flatulent indigestion. Ginger also helps in relieving griping induced by the presence of diarrhea due to infection. Menstruation is promoted by ginger, and the remedy is also useful in dealing with various other disorders affecting the uterus, the ginger remedy is also very effective in alleviating delayed or scanty periods as well as blood clots associated with the menstrual cycle. In women, remedies made from the ginger can be used to help relax the muscular spasms and in relieving the pain present during ovulation and during menstrual periods. Remedies made from the ginger are recommended as an herbal tonic to invigorate the reproductive system as a whole by many herbalists. The clotting and thinning of blood is also inhibited by remedies made from the ginger. The ginger remedies also help in lowering the elevated blood pressure and can help individuals with high cholesterol problems. Ginger remedies have a tendency to heat up the body and due to this effect, herbalist suggest that individuals who do not tolerate heat well, such as people with gastritis or peptic ulcers avoid the remedies made from ginger.

Main Properties: Diaphoretic, carminative, circulatory stimulant, inhibits coughing, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic.