Ginger is a tropical plant widely cultivated in India. In India, it is marketed both as a fresh vegetable and dried spice.
It is a slender perennial herb and is 30-50 cm tall with branched rhizome bearing leafy shoots. The leafy shoot is a pseudo-stem formed by leaf sheath. It bears 8 to 12 distichous leaves. It requires warm and humid climate and thrives well from sea level to an altitude of 1500 m. Proliferation of ginger is by portions of rhizome with one or two buds.
Fresh ginger and dry ginger powder is used in food processing. It is used in the manufacture of ginger bread, confectionary, ginger ale, curry powders, table sauces, in pickling, in the manufacture of certain cordials and in certain curried meats. Bleached ginger is formed by covering the dried ginger with a solution of lime.
In medicine, it is used as carminative and stimulant. It has wider applications in indigenous medicines. The ginger oil is used as food flavoring agent in soft drinks.
It is locally known as Adrak, Ada, Inchi, Allamu and Sonthi.
