medicinal history
Ginger has been used medicinally for thousands of years. Before "Shen Nong's Materia Medica", medical scientists were confused about ginger and dried ginger, and called it dried ginger.
In "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases" written by Zhang Zhongjing in the Han Dynasty, ginger is one of the herbs in Zhenwu Decoction for treating yang deficiency. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, there was a Persian sanka, which was translated from Chinese ginger, indicating that ginger had been used by Iranian medical circles at least during the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Chinese medicine scientists in the Tang Dynasty listed ginger as a "Chinese medicine".
Li Shizhen once praised the role of ginger in this way: "Ginger is pungent but not meaty. It can remove evil and ward off evil. It is not unsuitable to eat cooked food raw, vinegar, sauce, ingredients, salt, and honey decoction. It can be mixed with vegetables, fruit and medicine. It is beneficial. When you go to the mountains early, it is advisable to carry a piece of it, so as not to offend the mist, dew, clear and damp atmosphere and the unhealthy atmosphere of the mountains and haze."
According to historical records, in the early years of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty, the Ming army purchased "100,000 catties of ginger" for medicinal purposes in order to suppress Duzhangman. Zheng He also brought ginger and other medicinal materials with him when he went to the West.
Excavation and cultivation
It is collected in autumn and winter, the rhizomes are dug up, and the stems, leaves and fibrous roots are removed to be used as medicine.
The plant of ginger likes to be born in a warm climate. Humid, cold and sunny areas are not conducive to the growth of ginger. It is suitable for cultivation in slopes and shady areas. The soil is suitable for sandy loam and heavy loam, and the soil must be deep, loose, fertile and well drained.
It can be cultivated with the rhizome of ginger, and can be planted in holes or strips. Ginger is best thick, light yellow, shiny, and free from pests and diseases, and can be stored underground or indoors. From January to April in the south, and in May in the north, the ginger is taken out to accelerate germination, and the ginger is cut into pieces, and one to two strong buds are reserved for each piece. If the method of planting in holes is used, it is necessary to open holes with a distance of 40 cm by 30 cm, and the depth is about 13-17 cm, and then pour manure water in the holes. After the manure water penetrates into the soil, a piece of ginger is planted in each hole. Cover with compost soil; if it is cultivated by the method of strip planting, ditch at a row spacing of 40 cm, apply base fertilizer and plant at a plant spacing of 27 cm, and fill the muddy water to the ground level. The depth of sowing is also very particular. The ginger must be sown to a deeper position, and the dried ginger must be sown to a shallower position.
If you find missing plants after the emergence of ginger, you can replant them in time. It is necessary to weed three to four times throughout the year and top-dress four times, mainly machine fertilizer and compound fertilizer. Cultivated ginger has strict requirements on water, and water shortage is indispensable. If water shortage occurs, it must be watered immediately. The water supply was cut off ten days before the harvest time.
In terms of pest control, beware of infection with putrefactive diseases, commonly known as ginger blast, especially in hot and rainy seasons, and Bordeaux mixture can be used to prevent and control. When the disease occurs, the whole plant must be pulled out, and the diseased point should be disinfected with lime. Asian corn borer and butterfly larvae are the main pests, which can be killed with trichlorfon and dichlorvos respectively.
Appearance identification
The appearance of medicinal ginger is flat and irregular, and has branch-like branches. There are stem marks or buds at the top of each column, which are yellow-white or off-white, shiny on the surface, with light brown links, brittle, and juice after breaking Oozing, the section is light yellow, with obvious ring patterns, the smell is unique, the taste is pungent, and the ones with large, plump and tender texture are the best.