GINGER
Ginger (Zingiber
officinale) is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or simply ginger, is
widely used as a spice or a folk medicine.
It is
a herbaceous perennial which grows annual pseudostems (false stems
made of the rolled bases of leaves) about a meter tall bearing narrow leaf
blades. The inflorescences bear pale yellow with
purple flowers and arise directly from the rhizome on separate shoots.
Ginger is in
the family Zingiberaceae, to which also belong turmeric (Curcuma longa), cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum), and galangal.
Ginger originated
in the tropical rainforests from
the Indian subcontinent to Southern Asia where ginger plants show considerable genetic variation. As one of the first spices exported from the
Orient, ginger arrived in Europe during the spice trade, and was used by ancient Greeks and Romans. The
distantly related dicots in the genus Asarum are commonly called wild ginger because
of their similar taste.
Ginger likely
originated as ground flora of tropical lowland forests in regions from the
Indian subcontinent to southern Asia, where its cultivation remains among
the world's largest producers, including India, China, and other countries of
southern Asia (see Production). Numerous wild relatives are still found in
these regions, and in tropical or subtropical world regions, such as Hawaii, Japan, Australia, and Malaysia.
TURMERIC
Turmeric[a] is a flowering plant of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, the roots of which are used in cooking. The
plant is rhizomatous, herbaceous, and perennial, and is native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, and requires temperatures between 20 and 30 °C
(68 and 86 °F) and a considerable amount of annual rainfall to
thrive. Plants are gathered each year for their rhizomes, some for propagation in the following season and
some for consumption.
When not used
fresh, the rhizomes are boiled in water for about 30–45 minutes and then dried
in hot ovens, after which they are ground into a deep-orange-yellow powder
commonly used as a coloring and flavoring agent in
many Asian cuisines, especially
for curries, as well as for dyeing. Turmeric
powder has a warm, bitter, black pepper-like flavor and earthy, mustard-like aroma.
Although long used
in Ayurvedic medicine, no high-quality clinical evidence exists for use of turmeric or its
constituent, curcumin, as a therapy.
Turmeric has been
used in Asia for thousands of years and is a major part of Ayurveda, Siddha medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and Unani. It
was first used as a dye, and then later for its supposed properties in folk medicine.
Although the
precise origin of turmeric is not known, it appears to have originated
from Southeast Asia, most
probably from Vietnam, China,
or Western India. Not found in the wild,
turmeric is cultivated in Southeast Asia, Oceania, and some countries of western Africa. The
world’s largest producer, consumer, and exporter of turmeric is India.
Cymbopogon, better
known as lemongrass, is a genus of Asian, African, Australian, and tropical island plants in
the grass family.
Some species
(particularly Cymbopogon citratus) are
commonly cultivated as culinary and medicinal herbs because of their scent,
resembling that of lemons (Citrus limon). Common names
include lemon grass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, citronella
grass, cha de Dartigalongue, fever grass, tanglad, hierba
Luisa, or gavati chahapati, amongst many others.
LEMONGRASS
Lemongrass is
widely used as a culinary herb in Asian cuisines and also as a
medicinal herb in India. It has a subtle citrus flavor and can be dried and powdered, or used
fresh. It is commonly used in teas, soups, and curries.
It is also suitable for use with poultry, fish, beef, and seafood. It is often
used as a tea in African countries such as Togo,
south eastern Ghana Volta Region and the Democratic Republic of the
Congo and Latin American countries such as Mexico. Lemongrass oil is used as a pesticide and a preservative. Research shows that lemongrass oil has antifungal properties. Despite its ability to repel
some insects, such as mosquitoes, its oil is commonly used as a
"lure" to attract honey bees. "Lemongrass works conveniently as well as the
pheromone created by the honeybee's Nasonov gland, also known as attractant pheromones.
Because of this, lemongrass oil can be used as a lure when trapping swarms or
attempting to draw the attention of hived bees."
Citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus and Cymbopogon
winterianus) grow to about 2 m (6.6 ft) and have
magenta-colored base stems. These species are used for the production of citronella oil, which is used in soaps, as an insect repellent (especially mosquitoes) in insect sprays
and candles, and in aromatherapy. The principal chemical constituents of
citronella, geraniol and citronellol, are antiseptics, hence their use in household
disinfectants and soaps. Besides oil production, citronella grass is also used
for culinary purposes, as a flavoring.
Citronella is
usually planted in home gardens to ward off insects such as whitefly adults. Its cultivation enables growing some
vegetables (e.g. tomatoes and broccoli) without applying pesticides. Intercropping should include physical barriers, for
citronella roots can take over the field.
Lemongrass oil,
used as a pesticide and preservative, is put on the ancient palm-leaf manuscripts found
in India as a preservative. It is used at the Oriental Research Institute
Mysore, the French Institute of Pondicherry,
the Association for the Preservation of the Saint Thomas Christian Heritage
in Kerala, and many other manuscript collections in India. The
oil also injects natural fluidity into the brittle palm leaves, and the hydrophobic nature of the oil keeps the manuscripts dry
so the text is not lost to decay due to humidity.
East Indian lemon
grass (Cymbopogon flexuosus),
also called Cochin grass or Malabar grass, is native to Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, India, Sri Lanka, Burma, and Thailand, while West Indian lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus) is
native to South Asia and maritime Southeast Asia.
While both can be used interchangeably, C. citratus is more suitable
for cooking. In India, C. citratus is used both as a medical herb and
in perfumes. C. citratus is consumed as a tea for anxiety in
Brazilian folk medicine, but a study in humans found no effect. The
tea caused a recurrence of contact dermatitis in
one case.
Lemon grass is also
used as an addition to tea, and in preparations such as kadha, which is a
traditional herbal brew used in Ayurvedic medicine.
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