Jamaican Herbs and Spices - Ginger
Jamaican Ginger
Jamaican Ginger is classified as a rhizome (underground stem), which is primarily used in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Although Ginger is native to Asia, Jamaican Ginger is renowned as being of the best quality on the global market.
Other Names
Ginger is known around the world by various names, such as: African Ginger, Amomum Zingiber, Ardraka, Black Ginger, Cochin Ginger, Gan Jiang, Gingembre, Gingembre Africain, Gingembre Cochin, Gingembre Indien, Gingembre Jamaïquain, Gingembre Noir, Ginger Essential Oil, Ginger Root, Huile Essentielle de Gingembre, Imber, Indian Ginger, Jamaica Ginger, Jengibre, Jiang, Kankyo, Kanshokyo, Nagara, Race Ginger, Racine de Gingembre, Rhizoma Zingiberi, Rhizoma Zingiberis, Rhizoma Zingiberis Recens, Shen Jiang, Sheng Jiang, Shoga, Shokyo, Shunthi, Srungavera, Sunth, Sunthi, Vishvabheshaja, Zingiber Officinale, Zingiberis Rhizoma, Zingiberis Siccatum Rhizoma, Zinzeberis, Zinziber Officinale, Zinziber Officinalis.
Industry Uses
Jamaica Ginger is well known as a remedy for health ailments such as nausea, arthritis, fevers, headaches and indigestion. Ginger was recently the subject of a startling new research report presented at The American Association for Cancer which concluded that ginger contained properties which helped in the fight against Cancer. Used widely in the Food and Beverage industry, the juice from ginger roots is often used as to make sodas and root beer. Additionally, Ginger is used in a wide range of West Indian and Asian dishes.
Constituents and Characteristics
The characteristic odor and flavor of ginger is caused by a mixture of zingerone, shogaols, and gingerols, volatile oils that compose one to three percent of the weight of fresh ginger. Ginger contains up to 3% of a fragrant essential oil whose main constituents are sesquiterpenoids, with (−)-zingiberene as the main component. Smaller amounts of other sesquiterpenoids (β-sesquiphellandrene, bisabolene, and farnesene) and a small monoterpenoid fraction (β-phelladrene, cineol, and citral) have also been identified. The pungent taste of ginger is due to nonvolatile phenylpropanoid-derived compounds, particularly gingerols and shogaols, which form from gingerols when ginger is dried or cooked.