ABSTRACT
Zingiber officinale Roscoe belonging to the family Zingiberaceae, is commonly known as ‘ginger’ widely used as spice and medicinal plant in folk and traditional medicines. The plant is a perennial herb having thick and tuberous rhizome. The leaves arise from branched rhizome and flowers occur in dense spike, unobtrusive, and overlapping scales are present on the stalk. It is native to tropical and subtropical regions of Asia with India and China. It is also grown in West Africa, Caribbean regions and cultivated as a commercial crop with world production of about 1.6 million tons. India is ranked first with total biomass production of 33%, followed by China with 21%, Nigeria with 13%, and Bangladesh contributes 11% of total production. The generic name Zingiber is derived from the Greek word Zingiberis, means shaped like a deer’s antlers’ which is derived from Sanskrit word ‘Shringavera’ and ‘officinalis’ indicates the long-used medicinal properties of plant. The medicinally important part rhizome is extensively used around the globe as spice culinary, in beverages and herbal medicinal practices to cure a variety of diseases such as cold, fever, gastrointestinal problems, rheumatic disorders, bronchitis, diabetes, cancer, and motion sickness problems (Ali et al., 2018; Eid et al., 2017). The ginger rhizome contains a large number of bioactive compounds that have high biological and 392pharmaceutical effects. The paste of ginger in either water or milk is used externally for the treatment of infantile colic in the Ayurvedic system. The antibacterial, antifungal, antimycotogenic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, relaxant, immunomodulatory, and warming effects of ginger essential oil (ZOEO) have been reported by several workers. Ginger extract is useful in disorders caused by oxidative stresses as a strong antioxidant agent. Different studies show that the phenolic compounds and antho-cyanins, including gingerols, sugevals have neuroprotective effects like memory improvement and analgesic effects (Fadaki et al., 2017). Ginger leaves are also used as a flavoring agent in food and in Asian traditional medicine systems. ZOEO is used as a food flavoring agent in soft drinks, in confectionery items, in pickles, sauces, in bakery and as a preservative agent. ZOEO shows strong antibacterial, antifungal, antimycotoxigenic, and antioxidant activities. The essential oil, oleoresins (solvent-free), and natural extracts are kept in under GRAS (generally recognized as safe) category by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (Arablou et al., 2018). Ginger is basically used in three forms viz. fresh ginger root, dried root and preserved form (Shahrajabian et al., 2019). These properties of ginger are because of its secondary metabolites present and a good source for development of a variety of drugs. There are more than 400 different compounds reported in ginger, however, the quality and quantity depend on the regional climate, season of cultivation, processing methods used and in which form (either fresh or dried form) it is being used (Deleanu et al., 2018; Mahboubi, 2019). The ZOEO has a large number of antioxidant agents such as terpenoids, polyphenols, β-carotene and rutin. (Ghafoor et al., 2020). The ZOEO has prominent antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, and mycotoxin suppressing potential makes it a suitable natural agent to be used as a natural preservative and in therapeutical practices. The chapter presents the traditional medicinal status of plant, its phytochemistry, major active components, along with antibacterial, antifungal, antimycotoxigenic, and antioxidant properties.
