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The ginger plant itself has the scientific name of Zingiber officinal. The ginger rhizome is usually called the ginger root, and many cooks are familiar with the aroma of this rhizome because of the essential oils that contribute to its distinctive scent. Among Chinese Herbs, ginger can be said to have the unique capacity to stimulate saliva production in those who consume or even just taste it.
Chinese Herbs are often used in Chinese cuisine not just as a flavoring but also because of their reputed benefits to the body. You may find Chinese Herbs like ginger often employed in meat dishes and seafood dishes because of ginger can complement the flavor of the meat or seafood well. Among the Chinese Herbs, ginger can either be used as an extract or when the juice is squeezed from the ginger root; as ginger powder for breads; as fresh ginger for cooking; and to add to certain recipes like gingerbread. You might be surprised to that Chinese Herbs like ginger can even be incorporated into popular drinks like ginger ale and ginger beer.
Ginger as a Medicine
Western cuisine and medical treatment has already absorbed the practice of using some Chinese Herbs like ginger to make snacks such as ginger snaps; or to spice up the Western-style hot tea or coffee. Though technically considered one of the main Chinese Herbs, ginger also goes by a variety of other names too because it is now widely cultivated in many other countries and widely used in their cuisine as well.
- Chinese Herbs are often used for medical purposes and ginger is no exception to this rule. One reason Chinese Herbs are integrated as an ingredient of some medical preparations is to alter the taste of the product to make it more palatable to the patient consuming the medical product.
- Ginger is known to be effective against colic, dyspepsia and the common cold.
- However, as with all Chinese Herbs, you need to be cautious about ingesting ginger in combination with certain pharmaceutical products because ginger may contraindicate with these medicine.
- Chinese Herbs like ginger may also produce health results that are far from those desired – for instance, gallstone patients should never take ginger since ginger is known to make the gallbladder secrete bile instead.
- This counters the commonly held belief that Chinese Herbs may automatically be beneficial to your health.