Ginger was given its official botanical name, Zingiber officinale, by the famous eighteenth-century Swedish botanist, Linnaeus. Linnaeus derived the genus title Zingiber from its Indian Sanskrit name singabera which means shaped like a horn.

Ginger is one of more than 1,400 species belonging to the Zingiberaceae family, sharing the family's most popular honors with the spices turmeric (a principal component of curry) and cardamom. Ginger is a slender perennial reaching 24 to 39 inches in height. Its first stems are longer than the second and latter stems and bear beautifully fragrant flowers which are greenish-yellow and streaked with purple. The leaves are a dark green with a prominent midrib that is sheathed at the base, and the seeds are found in the rare fruiting body.

The most familiar part of the ginger plant used in commerce is the irregularly shaped and sized underground section which we erroneously call a root. Although ginger will probably always be associated with the term root, it is botanically correct to call it a rhizome. Unlike a root which dies if it is split, ginger can actually generate whole new plants from its budded sections. It is from these buds that ginger has been cultivated for thousands of years. Ginger grows best in a hot and moist climate with available shade, and in soil that is rich in loam and well tilled. The ginger rhizome is aromatic and thick lobed and ranges from white to yellow in color. One of the prized varieties and most unusual exceptions to this color range is a variety that possesses a characteristic blue ring which circles the fleshy interior.

Ginger is today the world's most widely cultivated spice. There are as many opinions as to who grows the best ginger as there are countries and regions that cultivate it. Ginger appears in so many varieties, with an estimated fifty in India alone, that any favoritism is a matter of personal taste. Each variety possesses its own distinctive flavor and aroma depending upon the soil and the manner in which it is grown. The most pungent gingers are reported to come from Africa, while milder varieties are found in China. There is some consensus that the milder gingers are better for culinary applications while the spicier varieties are best from a beverage and therapeutic standpoint.

People frequently subject to blood clots are generally prescribed oral anti-coagulants to help keep their blood relatively thin. One of the most commonly used medications for this is warfarin sodium (better known as coumadin). Unfortunately, it's also used as a potent rat poison and can lead to serious internal hemorrhaging over an extended period of time. Ginger root is an ideal replacement for such synthetic blood thinners. An average of two capsules twice daily in between meals appears to have helped a small number of those with such problems. Nothing seems to work quite like a hot ginger compress on muscular aches and pains, joint stiffness, abdominal cramps, kidney stone attacks, stiff neck, neuralgia, toothache, bladder inflammation, prostatitis and extreme body tension. But keep in mind that as wonderful a remedy as it is, time, considerable effort, patience and a certain change in lifestyle are all required in order to make it totally successful.

Ginger has pungent and warming properties that make it a valuable medicine. Ginger has a stimulating effect on the heart and circulation, creating a feeling of warmth and well-being and restoring vitality, especially for those feeling the cold in winter. Hot ginger tea promotes perspiration, brings down a fever and helps to clear catarrh. Ginger has a stimulating and expectorant action in the lungs, expelling phlegm and relieving catarrhal coughs and chest infections. Ginger is a wonderful warming aid to the digestion. Ginger invigorates the stomach and intestines, stimulating the appetite and enhancing digestion by encouraging secretion of digestive enzymes. Ginger moves stagnation of food and subsequent accumulation of toxins, which has a far-reaching effect throughout the body, increasing general health and vitality and enhancing immunity. Ginger is famous for relieving nausea and vomiting, from whatever cause. It settles the stomach, soothes indigestion and calms wind. Its pain-relieving and relaxing effects in the gut relieve colic and spasm, abdominal pain, distension and flatulent indigestion and help to relieve griping caused by diarrhea. In the uterus it promotes menstruation, useful for delayed and scanty periods as well as clots. Ginger relaxes spasm and relieves painful ovulation and periods, and is recommended to invigorate the reproductive system. Ginger also inhibits clotting and thins the blood; it lowers blood pressure and cholesterol. Because of its heating properties ginger is not recommended for those who do not tolerate heat well or those with gastritis or peptic ulcers.