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Dried Ginger is the dried rhizome of Zingiber officinale Rosc., a plant in the ginger family, while Fresh Ginger Rhizome refers to its fresh counterpart. Dried Ginger is primarily produced in Qianwei and Muchuan in Sichuan, as well as Liupanshui, Changshun, and Xingren in Guizhou. Additionally, it is also cultivated in Guangxi, Yunnan, Zhejiang, Shandong, Hubei, Guangdong, and Shaanxi.

Materia medica research suggests that the variety of ginger has remained unchanged from ancient times to the present. However, the term "Dried Ginger" in ancient times might have initially referred to a specially processed product of Fresh Ginger Rhizome or mother ginger, while the simply dried product of Fresh Ginger Rhizome or mother ginger was called "Dried Fresh Ginger Rhizome." After the Ming and Qing dynasties, the latter gradually replaced the former and became the authentic "Dried Ginger." Medicinal ginger is widely cultivated in the southern provinces, with Qianwei in Sichuan and Taizhou in Zhejiang having the longest history of cultivation. It is traditionally believed that the ginger produced in these two regions is of the highest quality, making them the most suitable areas for standardized cultivation.

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Ginger, written as "䕬" in the "Shuowen Jiezi," is explained by Xu Shen as: "A vegetable that wards off dampness, from the grass radical, with the sound of '彊'." In the "Wushi'er Bingfang," it is written as "䕬," "薑," "彊," "畺," and "橿," but later it was mostly abbreviated to "薑." The "Wuwei Medical Bamboo Slips" also write it as "薑," and in modern times, it is simplified to "姜." Regarding the origin of the name "䕬," Wang Anshi's "Zi Shuo" states: "䕬 strengthens oneself, capable of warding off all kinds of toxins, evil smells, fishy odors, cold, and heat." It also says, "Ginger can ward off all evils, hence it is called '薑'." This explanation might not be entirely accurate, as the original character for ginger might have been "畺," which in the "Shuowen Jiezi" means: "畺, boundary. From the field radical, with three lines indicating boundaries." This character was borrowed to refer to the plant ginger, likely because its rhizome is large and connected, resembling the shape of fingers.

In ancient times, ginger and cinnamon were known for their pungent and strong flavors, often used in cooking and seasoning. The "Analects of Confucius: Xiang Dang" mentions that Confucius "did not remove ginger from his meals, but did not eat it in excess." The "Book of Rites: Tan Gong" states: "In times of mourning and illness, when eating meat and drinking wine, there must be the addition of plant flavors, referring to ginger and cinnamon." Zheng's commentary adds: "To enhance the aroma." The "Lüshi Chunqiu: Ben Wei" says: "Among the harmonious flavors, there are Yang Pu's ginger and Zhao Yao's cinnamon." Besides culinary uses, ginger was also used medicinally. The "Lingshu: Shou'ao Gangrou" uses a mixture of pure wine, prickly ash peel, dried ginger, and cassia bark for medicinal fomentation. Ginger is frequently mentioned in the Mawangdui medical texts and is classified as a middle-grade herb in the "Shennong Bencao Jing." Subsequent materia medica texts throughout history have recorded it. The "Bencao Tujing" describes its plant morphology: "The plant grows two to three feet tall, with leaves resembling arrow bamboo leaves but longer, growing in pairs, with green stems and yellow roots, and no flowers or fruits." The "Bencao Gangmu" states: "Ginger thrives in low-lying sandy soil. Mother ginger is planted in April, and by May, seedlings emerge resembling young reeds, with leaf sheaths as broad as bamboo leaves, growing in pairs. The leaves are also pungent and fragrant. New shoots grow rapidly around the autumn equinox, resembling fingers, and are harvested for consumption without fibers, known as 'zi jiang' (young ginger). Those harvested after the autumnal equinox are of lesser quality, and after frost, they become old." According to the illustrations of Fuzhou Fresh Ginger Rhizome and Wenzhou Fresh Ginger Rhizome in the "Zhenglei Bencao" (Figure 1), the original plant is Zingiber officinale, which has remained unchanged from ancient times to the present.

Ginger is used for its rhizome. In modern times, it is roughly divided into three categories based on the part used, degree of drying, and processing method: Young Ginger, Fresh Ginger Rhizome, and Dried Ginger. 1. Young Ginger, which is the tender shoot of ginger, is mainly used as a vegetable, also known as baby ginger, purple ginger, or ginger shoot. 2. Fresh Ginger Rhizome, which is the fresh rhizome of ginger, is used both in cooking and medicine, also known as culinary ginger, mother ginger, or old ginger. 3. Dried Ginger, which is the dried product of the ginger rhizome, is primarily used for medicinal purposes and can be further processed into Carbonized Ginger or Blast-Fried Ginger. Although the varieties of ginger used for medicinal and culinary purposes have not changed from ancient to modern times, the specific specifications of the medicinal materials, especially the definition of "Dried Ginger," have varied significantly. A brief discussion follows.

1. In early literature, "干薑" may refer to "Dried Ginger".

Ginger was a commonly used item in medical prescriptions during the Qin and Han dynasties. According to Mr. Ma Jixing's "Mawangdui Ancient Medical Texts Research", ginger is mentioned about 15 times in the Mawangdui medical texts, directly referred to as "ginger" 8 times, as "Dried Ginger" 6 times, and as "枯薑" (withered ginger) once. It should be no problem to understand "枯薑" as dried and dehydrated ginger, but is this "枯薑" the same as the "Dried Ginger" appearing elsewhere? What is the relationship between "Dried Ginger" and "ginger"? More perplexingly, the "Wuwei Medical Bamboo Slips" from the early Eastern Han Dynasty also frequently use ginger, but it is indiscriminately referred to as "ginger". It is unclear which type of ginger this refers to. By the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, in the "Cold-Damage Disease Zabing Lun", ginger is used even more frequently, with over 50 prescriptions each for "Dried Ginger" and "Fresh Ginger Rhizome". "Fresh Ginger Rhizome" may be unambiguous, but what exactly "Dried Ginger" refers to still needs careful consideration.

The immortals and alchemists of the Qin and Han dynasties highly valued the miraculous effects of ginger. Not only does the Bencao Jing say that ginger "long-term consumption removes foul odors and enhances mental activity", but there are also various records in the apocryphal texts, such as the "Chunqiu Yundou Shu" which states: "The scattered stars become ginger; when virtue is lost and times are adverse, ginger grows wings, pungent but not foul." The "Xiaojing Yuanshen Qi" also says: "Pepper and ginger ward off dampness, Acorus enhances hearing, Sesame prolongs life, and Weixi wards off weapons." Ginger is often used together with pepper, which is what the "Yuanshen Qi" refers to as "pepper and ginger ward off dampness". Most notably, the early Taoist scripture "Taishang Lingbao Wufu Xu" discusses pepper and ginger: "Laojun said: Pepper grows in Shu and Han, containing the qi of taiyin. Born together with heaven and earth, it changes and sinks into the earth. Thus, it can ward off dampness, and evil dares not invade. It devours ghostly parasitic toxins, and nothing is forbidden. If you can regularly consume it, your desires will be fulfilled. The secrets of the world, its path is very deep. Keep it hidden and do not reveal it, not for ten thousand gold." Also, "Laojun said: Ginger grows in Taiyang (EX-HN5), the same land as pepper. Both come from good soil, secluded in the mountains. Firm and unmoving, it relies on Shuiquan (KI5). Containing the qi of Mars, it guards the root of the earth. Facing the sun with its back to the shade, it exists eternally with the world. Thus, it can repel dampness, drive away cold, and embrace warmth. It eliminates evil and cuts off disease, closing the ghost gate. If you can regularly consume it, your life will be as long as heaven and earth." In these two passages, pepper is seen as transformed from taiyin, while ginger is born from Taiyang (EX-HN5). Taiyang (EX-HN5) is dry, hence it is suspected that the ancient term "干（乾）薑" actually refers to "乾（qián）薑".

2. The Method of Making Dried Ginger

Interpreting "Dried Ginger" in the Qin and Han medical texts as "乾（qián）薑" is supported by the fact that "Dried Ginger" is not simply a dried product of Fresh Ginger Rhizome, but involves a unique production process. Tao Hongjing said: "Dried Ginger today only comes from Linhai and Zhang'an, made by two or three villages. The ginger from Shu and Han was once excellent, and Jingzhou has good ginger, but neither can make dried ginger. The method of making Dried Ginger involves soaking in water for three days, then peeling and placing in river water for six days, peeling again, then drying in the sun, and storing in jars, which is called brewing." Indeed, the process is not simply drying. This method of making "Dried Ginger" persisted until the Song Dynasty. The Bencao Tujing records the method of making Dried Ginger in Hanzhou: "Soak ginger in water for three days, peel, then place in river water for six days, peel again, then dry in the sun, and brew in jars for three days to complete." Li Shi's "Xu Bowu Zhi" volume 6 describes a similar method: "Soak in water for three days, then place in river water for six days, peel again, then dry in the sun, and store in jars, which is called brewing." This method of making "Dried Ginger" even spread to foreign lands. Inada Senji's "Processing Complete Book" volume 2 describes a method of making Dried Ginger: "Soak mother ginger in water for three days, peel, then place in river water for six days, peel again, then dry in the sun, and brew in porcelain jars for three days to complete."

3. Dried Fresh Ginger Rhizome

After all, the method of making "Dried Ginger" is excessively cumbersome, and merchants inevitably cut corners. The "Complete Book of Processing" specifically warns in the method of making Dried Ginger: "In the medicine shops, they slightly boil mother ginger, then sun-dry it, and sell it as Dried Ginger, which is not correct." In fact, the practice of slightly processing Fresh Ginger Rhizome and then sun-drying it to pass off as "Dried Ginger" was already present in the Song Dynasty. The "Bencao Tujing" states: "In autumn, the roots are collected, washed in long river water, and sun-dried to make Dried Ginger." In Su Song's view, this method of making "Dried Ginger" is not contradictory to the previously mentioned "Hanzhou Dried Ginger method."

However, Song Dynasty physicians also seemed to notice that the medicinal effects of these two methods of "Dried Ginger" were different, so a special term "dry Fresh Ginger Rhizome" appeared in prescriptions. For example, in volume 12 of Furen Liangfang, quoting the Boji Fang's Xingpi Yinzi, the original prescription used "Dried Ginger," followed by a discussion stating: "Later people removed tangerine peel and replaced Dried Ginger with dry Fresh Ginger Rhizome to treat elderly qi deficiency, severe constipation, and lack of body fluids, with remarkable effects." During the Song and Yuan periods, prescriptions using "dry Fresh Ginger Rhizome" were numerous, and Tangye Bencao specifically explained the substitution of dry Fresh Ginger Rhizome for "Dried Ginger": "Ginger shavings are not as hot as Dried Ginger, nor as moist as Fresh Ginger Rhizome. Using dry Fresh Ginger Rhizome to replace Dried Ginger is because it does not overstep its bounds." The "dry Fresh Ginger Rhizome" mentioned here is indeed the dried product of Fresh Ginger Rhizome, which is what we now call "Dried Ginger."

In the Ming Dynasty, Bencao Gangmu briefly mentioned "dry Fresh Ginger Rhizome" under the entry for Fresh Ginger Rhizome, but the details were unclear. The entry for Dried Ginger stated: "It is made from mother ginger. Nowadays, it is produced in Jiangxi, Xiang, and Jun, with the white and solid ones being the best, hence called white ginger or Jun ginger. For medicinal use, it should be processed." This record does not reveal the origin of "Dried Ginger." The slightly later "Materia Medica Chengya Banji" discussed the production of "dry Fresh Ginger Rhizome" and "Dried Ginger" most accurately: "Before and after the She festival, new buds grow rapidly, like fingers, one plant can produce a hundred fingers, all branching upwards. It is then time to harvest the seed ginger, otherwise both the mother and the offspring will spoil. Harvest the buds around the Autumnal Equinox (16th solar term), tender and tasty, but after frost, they become tough and fibrous. Drying them results in dry Fresh Ginger Rhizome. Dried Ginger is made from the harvested seed ginger, soaked in water for three days, peeled, soaked in river water for six days, peeled again, then dried, and finally fermented in a porcelain jar for three days. The white and solid ones are the best, hence called white ginger, and should be processed for medicinal use."

4. Dried Ginger

Around the Qing Dynasty, physicians and pharmacies gradually forgot the original meaning of "Dried Ginger," and the elaborate production process of "Dried Ginger" was gradually phased out. What was still called "dry Fresh Ginger Rhizome" during the Song and Yuan periods became the main source of "Dried Ginger," and its name also changed to "Dried Ginger." Bencao Chongyuan states: "Dried Ginger is made by drying mother ginger, with the thick, white, and solid ones resembling Gastrodia Tuber being the best, hence also called white ginger." This is completely different from Lu Zhi-yi's earlier claim that Dried Ginger is white ginger. Contemporary materia medica such as Bencao Qiuzhen, Bencao Congxin, "Materia Medica Sibian Lu," and Depei Bencao all use the term "Dried Ginger made by drying mother ginger," which is also the standard method for medicinal Dried Ginger today.

bubble_chart Historical Evolution of Authentic Production

Ginger, as an economic crop, has a long history of cultivation. Shiji's "Biographies of the Wealthy" states, "A thousand plots of ginger and leeks make a person equal to a marquis with a thousand households." During the Qin and Han periods, Sichuan was the main production area for ginger. The previously mentioned "Lüshi Chunqiu" refers to "Yang Pu's ginger," which, according to Gao You's annotation, was from Shu Commandery. Bencao Jing also mentions "grown in the valleys of Qianwei," which is present-day Qianwei County in Sichuan. During this period, ginger from Shu Commandery was also surrounded by legends in Taoist and immortal writings. Not only does "Taishang Lingbao Wufu Xu" state that ginger and pepper both come from Shu, but "Hou Han Shu: Biographies of Fangshu" also mentions that Cao Cao sent Zuo Ci to fetch Songjiang perch and Shu's Fresh Ginger Rhizome. Additionally, "Shenxian Zhuan" volume 9 records that Jie Xiang entered Shu to buy ginger for Sun Quan. Li Shangyin's poem "Yue Gui Liu Peng Zhang Han Kuai, Shu Jiang Gong Zhu Lu Ji Chun" praises the ginger from Sichuan.

After the Wei and Jin dynasties, ginger was also produced in Jingzhou and Yangzhou, as recorded in the Mingyi Bielu. Later, during the period of division between the North and South, Tao Hongjing emphasized the ginger from Linhai and Zhang'an, specifically stating: "Dried Ginger now only comes from Linhai and Zhang'an, with two or three villages skilled in its preparation. The ginger from Shu and Han was once excellent, and Jingzhou has good ginger, but it cannot be made into dried ginger." Linhai and Zhang'an are located in present-day Taizhou, Zhejiang. According to the "Book of Southern Qi: Biography of Kong Xiuzhi," "(Xiuzhi) was appointed as the governor of Linhai. During his tenure, he governed with integrity and frugality. Upon leaving office, he presented twenty catties of dried ginger to the emperor. The emperor initially thought it was too little, but upon learning of Xiuzhi's integrity, he sighed in admiration." This indicates that the origin of ginger production in Zhejiang can be traced back to this period. In the North, ginger was also cultivated at that time, but the quality was not high, mainly used for medicinal purposes in the Northern Dynasties. The "Qimin Yaoshu: Planting Ginger, Chapter 27" states: "The soil in the Central Plains is not suitable for ginger; it can barely survive and does not thrive. Those who plant it do so mainly for small medicinal purposes."

During the Tang and Song dynasties, the medicinal ginger was mainly sourced from the south. The Tribute of Dried Ginger in the Tang Dynasty primarily came from Chengdu in the Jiannan Circuit, Hangzhou, Taizhou, Fuzhou, and Quanzhou in the Jiangnan East Circuit, Qianzhou in the Jiangnan West Circuit, and Xiangzhou in the Shannan East Circuit. The Tongdian specifically mentions: "The Linhai Commandery tributes one hundred sheets of shark skin and one hundred catties of Dried Ginger. Now Taizhou." The Yuanhe Junxian Tuzhi records that during the Kaiyuan era, Taizhou tributed three hundred catties of Dried Ginger. The Bencao Tujing states: "Now it is found everywhere, with the best from Han, Wen, and Chizhou." It should be acknowledged that although Sichuan has always been considered the authentic production area for ginger, perhaps due to Tao Hong-jing's praise for Jiangnan ginger, the main production area of ginger during the Tang and Song periods had shifted to Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

During the Ming and Qing dynasties, the production areas of ginger were still in Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The Bencao Chongyuan states: "Linhai, Zhang'an, Han, Wen, and Chizhou can all produce it. Now Jiangxi and Zhejiang also have it, with the best from Sanqu and Kaihua." The Zengding Weiyao Tiaobian states: "Dried Ginger, produced in Junzhou, Hunan, with small double heads and white inside, is the best. That from Taizhou, Zhejiang, is Taijiang, smaller in size, with black and yellow flesh, is second. Other areas like Jiangnan, Jiangxi, Ningguo, and Sichuan also produce it, but the best should be large, firm, and white inside." Because Sichuan had already lost its authentic advantage at that time, Zhao Xue-min included "Chuanjiang" in the Bencao Gangmu Shiyi as a supplement, specifically praising: "Produced in Sichuan, curved like a dry branch, with the most pungent taste, not resembling the shape of ginger at all, can also be used in food."

In summary, the southern provinces are all suitable for the growth of medicinal ginger, with the longest history in Qianwei, Sichuan, and Taizhou, Zhejiang. It is traditionally believed that the ginger from these two places is the best, and they should be the most suitable areas for standardized cultivation. As for the northern provinces, although Jia Sixie of the Northern Wei said, "The soil is not suitable for ginger, it can only survive, but does not thrive," Xu Guangqi criticized this: "Now it is planted in the north and thrives very well, how can it be said to be unsuitable?" However, due to the cold climate in the north, early frost, and shorter growth period, although ginger is grown in places like Shandong and Henan today, it has weak powder, mild spiciness, and more Shuifen (CV9), making it unsuitable for processing into medicinal Dried Ginger, and is mainly used for consumption, commonly known as vegetable ginger. This is what the Bencao Mengquan refers to as "Northern Dried Ginger is not hot, Northern Fresh Ginger Rhizome is not moist," meaning that the ginger from the north is not suitable for medicinal use.