Evaluation of Phytochemical Composition of Ginger Extracts

Abstract

Ginger (Zingiber officinale) belongs to Zingiberaceae family. The used part of the plant is rhizome. This plant produces an orchid like flower with greenish yellow petals streaked with purple color. Ginger is cultivated in areas characterized by abundant rainfall. Even though it is native to southern Asia, ginger is also cultivated in tropical areas such as Jamaica, China, Nigeria and Haiti and it is an important spice crop in India [1]. Ginger, Zingiber officinalis, is a perennial herbaceous plant that is a part of the Zingiberaceae family. Ginger is an important plant with several medicinal, ethno medicinal and nutritional values (Kumar et al., 2011). Ginger is the underground rhizome of the ginger plant with a firm, striated texture. Zingiber officinale R., commonly known as ginger belongs to family Zingiberaceae [1].