Traditional Chinese Medicine University | The Hidden Benefits of Dried Ginger

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Dried Ginger (Gan Jiang)

The Hidden Benefits of Chinese Herbs

Yesterday, we introduced fresh ginger (Sheng Jiang) that can be sliced and used directly. Today, we continue with ginger, but this time we focus on dried ginger (Gan Jiang), which is processed through low-temperature drying. Although they appear similar, their effects are distinctly different. Let’s explore further.

Facts about Dried Ginger

Source

It is the dried rhizome of the ginger plant (Zingiber officinale). It is mainly produced in Sichuan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, and Hubei provinces. Harvested in winter, it is cleaned, sliced, or dried at low temperatures for use.

Properties

Pungent, hot. It enters the Spleen (Pi), Stomach (Wei), Kidney (Shen), Heart (Xin), and Lung (Fei) meridians.

Functions

Warms the middle, disperses cold, restores yang, and warms the lungs to transform phlegm.

Dosage

Decocted, 3-10g.

Precautions

This herb is pungent, hot, and drying; therefore, it should be avoided by those with yin deficiency and internal heat, or blood heat causing reckless movement.

Summary from Ancient Texts

From the “Shennong Bencao Jing”: It treats chest fullness, cough, counterflow qi, warms the middle, stops bleeding, induces sweating, expels wind-dampness, and alleviates diarrhea. The fresh form is especially good.

From the “Zhen Zhu Nang”: Dried ginger has four uses: it warms the heart yang; it expels cold from the viscera; it dispels cold from the meridians; it treats cold abdominal pain.

From the “Bencao Qiuzhen”: Dried ginger is very hot and non-toxic, it stays in the body and does not disperse. For cold in the stomach, when combined with Fu Zi (Aconite), it can restore yang effectively, hence the saying that “without ginger, Fu Zi cannot warm”.

Clinical Applications

Abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea

Dried ginger is pungent and hot, primarily entering the Spleen and Stomach, excelling in warming the middle, dispersing cold, and invigorating Spleen yang, making it a principal herb for warming the middle jiao. When taken alone as a powder, it can treat abdominal pain caused by cold pathogens invading the viscera. When used with Gao Liang Jiang (Galanga), it can treat vomiting due to stomach cold. When combined with Dang Shen (Codonopsis) and Bai Zhu (Atractylodes), it can treat Spleen and Stomach deficiency cold with cold pain in the epigastrium.

Yang Deficiency Syndrome

Dried ginger is pungent and hot, entering the Heart, Spleen, and Kidney meridians, with effects of warming yang and restoring the pulse. According to the “Shang Han Lun”, when combined with Fu Zi and other herbs, it forms the Si Ni Tang, which can treat yang collapse due to Heart and Kidney yang deficiency with internal cold.

Cold Phlegm Cough

Dried ginger is pungent and hot, entering the Lung meridian, excelling in warming the lungs, dispersing cold, and transforming phlegm. It is often used with Wu Wei Zi (Schisandra) and Ma Huang (Ephedra) to treat symptoms of cold phlegm cough, cold body, and profuse thin phlegm.

Modern Research on Dried Ginger

Chemical Composition

Similar to fresh ginger, the main components include zingiberene, watercressene, gingerone, gingerol, gingerone, camphor, and citral. It also contains resins, starch, and various amino acids.

Pharmacological Effects

Extracts of dried ginger in methanol or ether exhibit sedative, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiemetic effects, and a transient increase in blood pressure. Experiments have shown that the water extract or volatile oil of dried ginger can significantly prolong the thrombus formation time in rats; the alcohol extract can significantly increase bile secretion in rat livers, lasting about 3-4 hours.

This concludes our knowledge on dried ginger. Through these two days of learning and understanding, have you discovered the differences between dried ginger and fresh ginger? Fresh ginger has a strong dispersing effect, while dried ginger focuses more on warming the interior. Did you get that? Lastly, don’t forget the medicinal properties of dried ginger!

Dried ginger is pungent,

It resolves wind-cold,

It expels cold,

Especially for those with deficiency-cold.

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