ABSTRACT

Ginger is one of the most important and most widely used spices worldwide. Due to its universal appeal, ginger has spread to most tropical and subtropical countries from the China-India region, where ginger cultivation was prevalent probably from the days of unrecorded history. In ancient times ginger was more valued for its medicinal properties and played an important role in primary health care in ancient India and China. In European medicine ginger was also among the most highly valued of all mild carminatives and it was a component of many pharmaceutical preparations.