Zingiber officinale 1:1 extract: ginger in liquid form
Ginger is one of the few crops that no longer exists in the wild. It is a true cultigen, raised in Maritime Southeast Asia, where Austronesian peoples first domesticated it and carried it across the Indo-Pacific some five thousand years ago. India now grows about 45 percent of the world harvest, ahead of Nigeria and China; the 2023 total came to roughly 4.9 million tonnes. The bite and the smell come from volatile oils containing sesquiterpenes, zingerone, shogaols and gingerols, with 6-gingerol as the main pungent compound.
The plant is a herbaceous perennial in the same family as turmeric, cardamom and galangal. What stands above ground is not a real stem but a pseudostem of rolled leaf bases about a metre tall, carrying narrow blades. Flowers appear on separate shoots straight from the rhizome, their pale yellow petals edged in purple. The rhizome underneath is the part that matters: young and juicy it has a mild taste and is pickled, steeped or candied, while mature rhizome turns fibrous and nearly dry and works as a seasoning.
Dosing and use
Shake the bottle briefly and measure a few drops into a glass of water, a cup of tea or a smoothie, or take them under the tongue. The taste is sharp, so start with a small amount and see how you get on. A 1:1 ratio stays close to the herb itself; a stronger extract such as 2.5:1 packs more than twice as much plant material into the same volume of liquid.
Storage and precautions
Keep the bottle tightly closed in a cool, dry and dark place, out of reach of children. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding or taking medication, talk to your doctor first. This is a botanical product rather than a medicine, and how you use it remains your own responsibility. The same category at Avalon Magic Plants holds dozens of other 1:1 extracts, among them Matricaria chamomilla, Mentha piperita, Withania somnifera and Calendula officinalis. Every order leaves the building in discreet packaging.
