Chemical Aspects of Ginger (Zingiber officinale)

Abstract

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) has emerged as one of the 20 top selling herbal supplements in USA over the last two decades [1]. It has more than 2000-year long history, thus, ginger holds a prominent place among the most famous folk medicine in many Asian countries exhibiting various medicinal properties: anti-oxidative, anti-cancerous, anti-inflammatory, anti-obesity, and ant-imicrobial effects [1-4]. Ginger exhibits these properties mainly due to the presence of phytochemicals (e.g., terpenes, polyphenols, flavonoids) in it [4,5]. Ginger enriches the flavor of the cuisines and serves as a natural food preservative [4, 6].