Pharmacognostical Characterization on the Rhizome of Ginger

People the world over are increasingly turning to indigenous systems of medicine, which are mainly derived from the plant materials. The use of plant drugs, however, demands correct identification and characterization because their efficacy and safety depend on the use of proper plant part and its biological potency. Zingiber officinale Rosc., commonly known as ginger, is recorded to have been used in the traditional healthcare system of India since time immemorial. Transverse section of its rhizome showed that starch accumulates in the cortical cells and stele; and also revealed the presence of numerous suberized oil cells. The cell contents of diagnostic value are suberized oil cells containing yellowish to reddish-brown oleoresins, ovate starch grains, reticulate vessels and septate fibres.