Ginger (Zingiber officinale), a perennial tropical native of Malabar (India) belongs to the Zingiberaceae family.
It is about ninety centimetres tall; its persistent leaves are lanceolate. The plant grows from a fleshy and well developed rhizome divided in nodes, which is used in medicine and cooking. After flowering, a club-like spike containing encapsulated seeds appears at the tip of a short scaled stem. The leaves are very fragrant when crushed.
Main aromatic molecules: Monoterpenes (camphene), monoterpenols (borneol, geraniol, linalool), sesquiterpenes (ar-curcumene, sesquiphellandrene, zingiberene), vanilloids (gingerols)
Family: Zingiberaceae.
Producing organs: Fresh rhizomes.
Yield: 1.5 to 3kg of essential oil per 100kg of rhizomes.
Equivalence: 1ml → 32 drops (dosage calculated for a calibrated dropper European Pharmacopoeia)
