■Editor: Liu Lan
Fresh ginger (Sheng Jiang) is an essential seasoning in daily life, a cost-effective health product, and has significant medicinal value. Fresh ginger is warm in nature, pungent in flavor, and has the effects of releasing the exterior, dispersing cold, stopping vomiting, and detoxifying. However, many people mistakenly believe that dried ginger (Gan Jiang) is simply fresh ginger that has been sun-dried, which is not the case.
Fresh Ginger (Sheng Jiang) is the fresh rhizome of the ginger plant (Zingiber officinale). It is harvested in autumn and winter, with the fibrous roots and soil removed.
【Properties and Channels】 Pungent, slightly warm. Enters the Lung (Fei), Spleen (Pi), and Stomach (Wei) channels.
【Functions and Indications】 Releases the exterior and disperses cold, warms the middle and stops vomiting, transforms phlegm and stops cough, detoxifies seafood poisoning. Used for wind-cold colds, cold stomach vomiting, cold phlegm cough, and seafood poisoning.
【Dosage and Administration】 3-10g.
Dried Ginger (Gan Jiang) is the dried rhizome of the ginger plant. It is harvested in winter when the stems and leaves of the ginger wither, with the fibrous roots and soil removed, then sun-dried or dried at low temperatures. Freshly sliced and dried or low-temperature dried ginger is referred to as Gan Jiang Pian (Dried Ginger Slices).
【Properties and Channels】 Pungent, hot. Enters the Spleen (Pi), Stomach (Wei), Kidney (Shen), Heart (Xin), and Lung (Fei) channels.
【Functions and Indications】 Warms the middle, disperses cold, restores yang, and opens the channels. Used for cold pain in the abdomen, vomiting and diarrhea, cold limbs with weak pulse, and cold phlegm cough.
【Dosage and Administration】 3-10g.
Different cultivation methods result in distinct medicinal properties and effects of fresh ginger and dried ginger. During the cultivation of fresh ginger, it is necessary to mound soil around it frequently, as it is a rhizome that has phototropism. The more it is covered, the more it grows upwards to obtain sunlight. This results in fresh ginger growing larger and larger. When we buy fresh ginger in the market, the young ginger is quite large, with very little fiber, tender and crisp, and shrinks when dried. In contrast, dried ginger is not mounded during cultivation, resulting in smaller size and more concentrated internal components, making it denser and less shriveled even when sun-dried.
Dried ginger is pungent, hot, and dry, primarily entering the Spleen and Stomach channels, excelling in warming the middle, dispersing cold, and promoting Spleen and Stomach function. It is the main herb for warming the middle jiao, often used with Dang Shen (Codonopsis) and Bai Zhu (Atractylodes) to treat Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold and abdominal pain; commonly paired with Gao Liang Jiang (Galanga) to treat cold stomach vomiting; the formula Si Ni Tang (Four Reversal Decoction), which warms yang and opens the channels, uses Fu Zi (Aconite) and dried ginger together.
The main difference in efficacy between fresh ginger and dried ginger is that fresh ginger is used for dispersing wind-cold exterior syndromes, while dried ginger is not used for releasing the exterior but is primarily for treating interior syndromes of heart yang deficiency. Fresh ginger disperses wind-cold, warms the middle and stops vomiting, warms the lungs and stops cough, and detoxifies seafood poisoning; dried ginger warms the interior, disperses cold, restores yang, and warms the lungs to disperse cold.
Additionally, dried ginger can be processed into another medicinal herb—Pao Jiang (Processed Ginger).
Pao Jiang is a processed product of dried ginger. Take dried ginger pieces, stir-fry them in a pot over high heat until they puff up, the outer skin turns dark yellow, and the inside turns yellow. Sprinkle a little water, take it out, and dry it to complete the process.
【Properties and Channels】 Pungent, hot. Enters the Spleen (Pi), Stomach (Wei), and Kidney (Shen) channels.
【Functions and Indications】 Warms the channels and stops bleeding, warms the middle and alleviates pain. Used for yang deficiency with blood loss, vomiting blood, menorrhagia, Spleen and Stomach deficiency-cold, and abdominal pain with vomiting and diarrhea.
【Dosage and Administration】 3-9g.
Famous physician Zhang Yuansu from the Jin Dynasty stated: “Dried ginger is originally pungent, and when processed, it becomes slightly bitter, thus it stops and does not move, which is why it can treat interior cold.” The Ben Cao Zheng also records: “When yin is excessive and yang is constrained, fire does not return to its source, and when yang is deficient and cannot contain blood, leading to vomiting or bleeding, it is best to use (dried ginger) after stir-frying to retain its properties, as it is the most effective hemostatic herb.” Modern pharmacological studies have confirmed that processed ginger can significantly shorten bleeding and coagulation time. Animal experiments have shown that processed ginger inhibits stress-induced and acetic acid-induced gastric ulcers.
In summary, fresh ginger, dried ginger, and processed ginger are all derived from the same plant and can warm the middle and disperse cold, suitable for Spleen and Stomach cold syndromes. However, due to differences in quality and processing, their properties vary. Fresh ginger excels in dispersing exterior cold and is a sacred herb for vomiting; dried ginger is more focused on dispelling interior cold and is a superior herb for warming the middle and dispersing cold; processed ginger is good at moving blood and excels in warming the channels and stopping bleeding. Therefore, it is important to distinguish between fresh ginger, dried ginger, and processed ginger to achieve the best therapeutic effects.
Thank you for reading and sharing
Compiled from: China “Is Dried Ginger Simply Sun-Dried Fresh Ginger? Many People Misunderstand!” “Fresh Ginger, Dried Ginger, Processed Ginger”
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