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Latin pharmacognostic name: Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens

Alternate English names: fresh gingerroot

Kingdom: Plant

Origin in PRC Pharmacopoeia: Zingiber officinale (Wild.) Rosc. (PRC Pharmacopoeia)

Origin (other sources): Zingiber officinale (Willd.) Rosc.

Use: Medicinal and alimentary

Category: Exterior-resolving agents / Warm acrid exterior-resolving agents

Properties: Acrid; warm.

Channel entry: Lung, spleen, and stomach channels.

Indications:

• Promotes sweating and resolves the exterior: Common cold due to external contraction of wind-cold.
• Warms the center and checks vomiting: Stomach cold vomiting.
• Warms the lung and relieves cough: Wind-cold cough.
• Other actions: Shēng jiāng resolves the toxin of Bàn xià (半夏 Pinelliae Rhizoma, pinellia [rhizome]) and Tiān nán xīng (天南星 Arisaematis Rhizoma, arisaema [root]), as well as that of contaminated fish and crabs.

Dosage & Method: Oral: 3–10g in decoctions. Alternatively, use the juice extracted by crushing.

Warnings: Shēng jiāng can damage yīn and foster fire; it is therefore contraindicated in yīn vacuity with internal heat.

Notes: The dried form of ginger, gān jiāng (Zingiberis Rhizoma), has different properties.

Product Description: The fresh rhizome is a long, knobby, slightly flat rhizome with finger-like branches, that have depressed scars at the ends, where shoots have been removed. It is 4–10 cm long, and about 1–2 cm thick. The exterior surface is a grayish brown, with distinct annular nodes. It breaks easily, revealing a pale yellow or brown fracture that is granular and fibrous in texture. It is cut into slices 1–2 mm thick after the skin is removed.

Quality: Large fat roots that are tender and juicy are the best.

Product Area: Widely cultivated in and outside China, the main production areas in China being Sìchuān, Húběi, and Guǎngdōng.

See also: Gān jiāng (干姜 Zingiberis Rhizoma, dried ginger)

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