A Brief History of Ginger

Ginger in the Eastern and ancient world is very documented. Confusious wrote about it in his Analects (Braun, 480). The Greek physician Dioscordes listed ginger as an antidote for poison. Ginger as well as garlic are amongst one of the more common “herbs” as it is used by many people for adding flavor and spice to dishes. Its versatility makes it very good at being a folk remedy for many ailments (Gladstar, 42). One of which makes it the base for many reproductive tonics because of its a circulatory abilities (Gladstar, 42) that stimulate blood flow through the pelvic region. It is used for both men and women’s tonics to aid in circulation of blood to the reproductive organs. It aids in dysmenorrhea due to its ability to inhibit thromboxane synthetase (an enzyme that causes blood clotting) and activate endorphin receptors ( they’re the feel good hormones) (Braun, 480).

Ginger in traditional Chinese medicine has had a long history and is what most smell of when they think of Chinese cooking aromas. It has had a long use as a Qi (pronounced Chee) balancer and to restart the flow of stagnant Qi (Braun, 480). Sheng Jiang (fresh Ginger) has been used to help with hun hua, or transformation and transportation of solids and fluids (Herbal Supplements by Winston and Kuhn).