Pinyin: Shengjiang
Aliases
Mu Jiang, Xian Sheng Jiang.
Source
Zingiberaceae plant GingerZingiber officinaleFresh rhizome of Rosc.
Botanical Description
See the entry under "Ganjiang."
Harvesting and Processing
Harvested in autumn and winter, remove fibrous roots and sediment.
Medicinal Properties
Rhizome irregularly block-shaped, slightly flattened, with finger-like branches, 4-18 cm long, 1-3 cm thick. Surface yellowish-brown or grayish-brown, with nodes, branch tips with stem scars or buds. Texture brittle, easily broken, cross-section pale yellow, endodermal ring distinct, vascular bundles scattered. Odor: aromatic, distinctive; Taste: pungent.
Chemical Constituents
This product contains gingerol,α- Gingerene,β- Water cressene, citral, aromatic alcohol, methyl heptenone, nonanal,α- Borneol and others, also contains the pungent component gingerol.
Pharmacology
Has sedative and anticonvulsant effects; antipyretic, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory effects; relaxes gastrointestinal smooth muscle; antiemetic and anti-motion sickness; stimulates the heart, enhances atrial contractility, protects the gastric mucosa; hepatoprotective and choleretic; anti-platelet aggregation; anti-serotonin, antioxidant, antimicrobial, central nervous system stimulation, promotes release of endogenous active substances, promotes absorption, antitussive, hypolipidemic, antiallergic, mutagenic and antimutagenic, inhibits nitrosamine synthesis. No significant toxicity.
Properties and Channel Entry
Acrid, slightly warm. Enters the Lung, Spleen, and Stomach channels.
Functions and Indications
Dispels Cold and relieves the exterior, directs rebellious Qi downward and stops vomiting, transforms Phlegm and stops cough, and resolves fish and crab toxicity. Used for Wind-Cold common cold, stomach Cold with vomiting, Cold-Phlegm cough, and fish and crab poisoning.
Dosage and Administration
Oral: decoct in water, 3-10 g; or crush to extract juice and take with water
Precautions and Contraindications
Contraindicated in cases of Yin deficiency with internal Heat and Excess Heat patterns.
Prescriptions
1. For wind-cold type common cold: Shengjiang (fresh ginger) 5 slices, Zisuye (Perilla leaf) 30 g. Decoct in water and take orally. (From *Bencao Huiyan* - Collected Sayings of the Materia Medica) 2. For dry retching, hiccup, and cold hands and feet: Jupi (tangerine peel) 120 g, Shengjiang (fresh ginger) 240 g. Add seven sheng of water to the above two ingredients, boil down to three sheng, and take in three divided doses. If symptoms persist, prepare and take again. (From *Qianjin Yaofang* - Essential Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Gold, Jupi Tang - Tangerine Peel Decoction) 3. For regurgitation (morning ingestion with evening vomiting, or evening ingestion with morning vomiting, or immediate vomiting): Zhejiang (sugarcane juice) 7 sheng, Shengjiang (fresh ginger juice) 1 sheng. Combine the two juices and take in three divided doses. (From *Meishi Jiyan Fang* - Master Mei's Collected Proven Prescriptions) 4. For cholera with nausea but no vomiting, and diarrhea but no purging: Yan (salt) 30 g, Shengjiang (fresh ginger) 15 g, pound together and stir-fry until the color changes. Add one bowl of water, decoct and take. For severe cases, add one cup of boy's urine. (From *Chishui Xuanzhu* - The Mysterious Pearl of the Red Water, Jiangyan Yin - Ginger and Salt Decoction) 5. For low back pain: Shengjiang (fresh ginger) 1 jin, pound to extract 120 g of juice, Shuijiao (gelatin) 30 g, decoct together to form a paste. Spread the paste on thick paper and apply to the painful points of the lower back; very effective. (From *Chuanya Neibian* - Internal Compilation of Simple and Elegant Prescriptions, Tieyao Gao - Waist-Applied Paste)
