Dried ginger (Gan Jiang) is a key herb for warming the middle, restoring yang, warming the lungs, and transforming phlegm.
Dried ginger (Gan Jiang) is the dried rhizome of the ginger plant (Zingiber officinale), with a pungent flavor and warm nature. It enters the heart, lungs, spleen, stomach, and kidney meridians, primarily functioning to warm the middle and restore yang, and warm the lungs and transform phlegm. Below are its clinical applications:
1. Used for symptoms of spleen and stomach deficiency cold, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cold pain, internal excess of yin cold, cold extremities, and weak pulse.
Dried ginger (Gan Jiang) is effective in warming the yang of the spleen and stomach and eliminating internal cold. It is often used in combination with herbs such as Dang Shen (Codonopsis), Bai Zhu (White Atractylodes), and Zhi Gan Cao (Honey-fried Licorice). When combined with Fu Zi (Aconite), it can enhance the function of restoring yang and rescuing from collapse, treating conditions of internal cold excess and cold extremities. For example, in the formula Li Zhong Wan (Regulate the Middle Pill) from the Shang Han Lun, which includes Ren Shen (Ginseng), Gan Jiang (Dried Ginger), Bai Zhu (White Atractylodes), and Gan Cao (Licorice), it treats spleen and stomach deficiency cold, abdominal pain with diarrhea, and cold fluids in the stomach, along with excessive salivation.
2. Used for cough due to lung cold, with thin and profuse phlegm resembling white foam.
Dried ginger (Gan Jiang) has a warming, drying, and dispersing nature, which not only warms the lungs to disperse cold but also dries dampness to transform phlegm. Therefore, it can be used for cold cough with abundant phlegm, often combined with Xi Xin (Asarum), Wu Wei Zi (Schisandra), Fu Ling (Poria), and Zhi Gan Cao (Honey-fried Licorice).
Confucius said: “Do not remove ginger from your meals.” The Qian Zi Wen states: “Vegetables are heavy with mustard and ginger.” The ancients placed great importance on consuming ginger for health. Ginger, as a superior herb for both food and medicine, can warm the middle, release the exterior, and detoxify. It is an excellent addition to meals and is commonly used in folk medicine. Due to therapeutic needs, it is processed in various ways, resulting in different forms such as Sheng Jiang (Fresh Ginger), Wei Jiang (Cooked Ginger), Gan Jiang (Dried Ginger), and Pao Jiang (Processed Ginger). Fresh ginger is warm and pungent, excels in dispersing, and can warm the middle to stop vomiting, often used for external wind-cold and cold fluids in the stomach; dried ginger has reduced dispersing properties and is more focused on treating internal cold symptoms, thus primarily warming the middle, restoring yang, and transforming phlegm; processed ginger, also known as black ginger, is dried ginger that has been fried until black on the outside and yellow on the inside, losing its dispersing properties, specializing in warming the channels to stop bleeding and warming the middle to stop diarrhea. Therefore, it is said that “fresh ginger disperses but does not hold, dried ginger can both disperse and hold, and processed ginger holds but does not disperse.” As for cooked ginger, it is made by cooking fresh ginger, which is less dispersing than fresh ginger and less drying than dried ginger, having properties similar to processed ginger but with less potency, primarily warming the interior and treating cold pain in the stomach and abdomen.
Dried ginger (Gan Jiang) and Fu Zi (Aconite) both have the function of restoring yang, but dried ginger is more focused on the yang of the spleen and stomach, while Fu Zi is more focused on warming the yang of the spleen and kidney.
In 2020, during the rampant spread of COVID-19, the People’s Hospital of Tongxu County in Henan Province successfully prevented the virus using a formula of Gan Cao (Licorice) and Gan Jiang (Dried Ginger), achieving zero infections and receiving widespread acclaim. This is a valuable experience in epidemic prevention, based on the correct assessment of the virus. From a TCM perspective, COVID-19 is considered a cold-damp evil, primarily affecting the middle and upper jiao, particularly the spleen and lung systems. Dried ginger can warm the middle and dispel cold from the upper jiao, while honey-fried licorice can tonify the middle and benefit qi, eliminate phlegm, and detoxify. Therefore, for the cold-damp evil of COVID-19, the Gan Cao and Gan Jiang decoction can serve a preventive role. Of course, adding a diuretic herb like Yi Yi Ren (Job’s Tears) would be even better, as it can promote water metabolism, strengthen the spleen, eliminate dampness, and drain pus. One can prepare a decoction of Gan Cao, Gan Jiang, and Yi Yi Ren at home to prevent and treat the cold-damp evil of COVID-19. To overcome the pandemic, in addition to precise isolation, it is essential to actively use effective TCM to prevent and treat, ensuring that the medicine addresses the illness, achieving a quick dynamic zeroing out. We must keep pace with the times, promptly reassess the mutated COVID-19 vaccines, and apply targeted treatments for effective prevention and treatment.
