ACQUIZHEN

Ginger – Zingiber officinale

Zingiber officinale, or Ginger, is one plant in a family of aromatic tropical plants. Zingiber officinale is no longer found in the wild but it is thought to have come from India as wild plants of the Zingiber genus there show great variety. Ginger is now so widely cultivated as a commercial crop throughout the tropics that there is no risk of the species being lost.
Meticulous Roman tax records show that two thousand years ago Ginger was being imported to the Empire from India. After the fall of the Roman Empire it continued to be traded by the Arabs and was introduced still further afield to the Caribbean Islands by the Europeans by who were keen consumers of this spice.

The plant has long narrow pointed leaves which grow up to 1m high. They have parallel veins and emit a faint aroma of ginger when rubbed between thumb and forefinger, a whisper of concealed treasure. The plant is perennial and persists for years, while its leaves are annual and are replaced yearly. The leaves and shoots are used in Japanese cooking but the plants value to man is largely in the fleshy rhizomes which creep just below the surface of the soil. They have a pale greyish skin that conceals bright yellow flesh which becomes more fibrous and aromatic the older it gets. These rhizomes are not roots but technically swollen stem. When a plants stems grow in this horizontal manner they do not need to use energy or nutrients to construct strengthening tissue to allow them to remain upright. As well as conserving resources the rhizomes effectively occupy a large surface area of soil. This makes it harder for other plants to compete with them. The vitality of Ginger rhizomes is demonstrated by the ease with which a piece will grow even after being harvested, transported and lingering on a super market shelf. Ginger rarely flowers and is propagated for commercial use by the rhizomes.

Throughout its long history of cultivation by man Ginger has been used for medicinal purposes as much as for food. There is scientific evidence accumulating which confirms the effectiveness of traditional uses of Ginger as a medicine. Some of the confirmed properties of the highly aromatic rhizome are also useful for treatment of human skin. Ginger rhizomes combine anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory qualities. In addition to this it has the ability to inhibit collagen degradation, which means that Ginger extract can help to maintain elasticity of the skin. ACQUIZHEN has included Ginger extract in the Replenishing Day Cream, Eye & delicate Skin Serum, Nurturing Night Cream and in the Gentle Exfoliating Mask for its powerful anti-aging effects.