Zingiber officinale Rosc.: A traditional herb with medicinal properties

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) belonging to the family Zingiberaceae is a perennial herb. It is widely distributed in tropical Asia. In India, it is cultivated mainly in Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra. It is one of the most common spices, which is in use since centuries for its versatile medicinal actions like antiemetic, stomachic, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, aphrodisiac etc in traditional system of medicine (Unani, Ayurveda, and Chinese medicine). It is useful for the treatment of various gastrointestinal, pulmonary, cardiovascular and sexual disorders. The phytochemical study of ginger showed the presence of many volatile oils and oleo-resins like gingerol, zingerone, zingiberol etc. Numerous experimental and clinical trials have proven ginger for its range of therapeutic activities such as antibacterial, antidiabetic, antiemetic, hypolipidaemic, hepatoprotective etc properties. The present article aims to explore traditional Unani and pharmacological activities of this herb reported till date.