Ginger: an ethnomedical, chemical and pharmacological review.

Powerful medicinal properties have been recorded for Zingiber officinale, commonly known as ginger. All of these medicinal activities have been compiled with 99 references to the present status of the plant in the literature. Volatile components and the presence of trace metals are included. In addition, details of individual medicinal activities are given and the molecular structures of identified organic metabolites and their synthesis are described.