
Ground Ginger
Ginger (zingiber officinale) is native to South Asia, an essential ingredient there, and in China, Korea and Japan. It has become an important ingredient and almost universally popular. In Western cuisine it is more often used in sweets and baking, for which the powdered form is useful. Ground ginger is approximately six times as potent, by volume, as fresh, so use sparingly. In folk traditions, ginger is powerful medicine, particularly in the treatment of nausea and other digestive disorders, and for relieving pain and colds.