White ginger

White ginger

　　China has many varieties of ginger, among the more famous ones are: white ginger from Dandong in Northeast China, sliced ginger from Laiwu in Shandong, white ginger from Tongling in Anhui, yellow ginger from Huanglaomen in Jiangxi, red-claw ginger and yellow-claw ginger from Jiaxing in Zhejiang, ginger from Laifeng in Hubei, wilted ginger from Chaling in Hunan, yellow ginger from Yuxi in Yunnan, Xilin ginger from Guangxi, large-meat loose-ringed ginger from Guangdong, and Hanzhong jue ginger from Shaanxi. It is worth mentioning that the Muchuan white ginger in Leshan has large, plump fresh rhizomes with white, tender flesh. The dried ginger is firm, full-bodied, highly starchy, white-colored, fine-textured, spicy, fragrant, and rich in flavor. Known for its “white skin and powdery mouthfeel,” Sichuan ginger enjoys a high reputation. Muchuan has a long history of cultivating white ginger for over 1,700 years. Historical records indicate that Li Shizhen, the renowned Ming Dynasty medical master, personally visited Guobeiyan (now Anle Village, Jianban Town, Muchuan County) to study white ginger, and included it in his classic work, Compendium of Materia Medica. Muchuan white ginger boasts advantages such as attractive appearance, superior quality, and excellent functionality. The product is sold to over 300 pharmaceutical units across the country and exported to more than ten countries and regions in Africa, West Asia, and Southeast Asia. Experiments have shown that Muchuan white ginger extract can effectively inhibit Staphylococcus and Salmonella, and also shows significant inhibitory effects on vaginal trichomonads and skin fungi. White ginger is also used as an anticoagulant to prevent blood clotting. A doctor from Cornell University in the United States discovered that his blood was not clotting as easily as usual and traced the cause to his consumption of large amounts of ginger paste. Dr. Dorsol believes this is due to a compound in ginger whose chemical structure is similar to salicylic acid, which helps prevent or reduce blood coagulation. Recent reports also suggest that ginger can regulate human prostate levels. In 2001, the county planted 19,520 mu of white ginger, with an expected yield of 40,000 tons of fresh ginger. Meanwhile, Muchuan was designated by the municipal government as the white ginger base of the Leshan Traditional Chinese Medicine Science and Technology Demonstration Zone and applied for provincial-level base status. Muchuan plans to build a 30,000-mu standardized high-quality pollution-free white ginger planting science and technology demonstration base within five years (from 2000 to 2004). (Leshan)