Historical evolution and change of differentiation on dried ginger, fresh ginger and baked ginger / 中国中药杂志

ABSTRACT

Ginger is commonly used as dietetic Chinese herbs, medicinal ginger mainly divided into dried ginger, fresh ginger and baked ginger. In this article, by sorting and studying literature of Chinese materia medica, textual criticism the historical evolution and change of differentiation on dried ginger, fresh ginger and baked ginger. Results indicate that, as the changes of the dynasty, dried ginger, fresh ginger and baked ginger gradually differentiation in producing area and processing method. Dried ginger beginning in Shennong Bencao Jing（Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica）, Mingyi Bielu（Records of Famous Physicians） respectively included fresh ginger and dried ginger for the first time. Dried ginger and fresh ginger differentiation in producing area. Between the period of Shennong Bencao Jing（Shennong's Classic of Materia Medica）and Bencao Gangmu（Compendium of Materia Medica）, dried ginger was made from fresh ginger by water, peeled and sunlight; After Bencao Gangmu（Compendium of Materia Medica）, most herbalists support the view of Li Shizhen, thought that dried ginger was made by mother ginger. Baked ginger appeared in Han Dynasty. Depei Bencao（De Pei Materia Medica） in Qing Dynasty listed the baked ginger separately as a herb medicine ingredient, thought that baked ginger was made by dried ginger. As the changes of the dynasty, genuine producing areas of ginger were changed, but mainly concentrated in Yangtze river basin. Sichuan Qianwei is the main authentic region of modern medicinal ginger, in accordance with all previous dynasties materia medica. Since the Ming Dynasty, a lot of herbalists thought that good quality of dried ginger is meat thick full, color white and texture solid.