Quranic Name: Zanjabil
Common Names: Zanjbil, Janzbil (Arab.), Zanjfil (Pers.), Zencefil (Turk.) Ginger (Eng.), Gingembre (Fr.), Ingwer (Ger.), Sonth, Adrak (Hindi, Urdu, Kash., Punj) Zingiber (Lat.), Zengiveris (Gr.) Jengibre (Sp.) Zenzero (It.) Imbir (Russ.), Sringber (Sans.), Ada (Beng.), Inji (Tam.), Allam (Tal.) Inchi (Mal.), Aal (Mar.), Adu (Guj.), Jahe (Indon, Malay), Gingibar (Bosn.) Jiang (Chin.) Cencer (Cr.) Jinjaa (Jap) Aliah (Malay,Indon) Gengibre (Port) Imbir (Russ) Zumbir (Serb) Jahe (Sundanese) Ingefara (Sw)
Botanical Name: Zingiber officinale Rosc. (Family: Zingiberaceae)
Note: In Arabic, fresh ginger is called Zanjabeel Rutub, while dried ginger is referred to as Zanjabeel Yabis.
Quranic References:
1. SURAH LXXVI (Ad-Dahr – Time). V: 17
And they will be given to drink there of a cup (of wine) mixed with Zanjabil.-
In this Verse, God has promised to provide a wine flavoured with Ginger to those who would be put in Paradise (Jannah), because of their good deeds on earth. In Tafseer-e-Mazhari, it is stated that the Arabs had a great liking for the Ginger and, therefore, Allah has promised a drink of their taste. Maulana Maudoodi (Tafheem ul Quran) has also stated that the Arabs used to mix Ginger in their drinking water. They used to put small pieces of dried ginger in earthen water pots for flavor.
Abu Nu’aim records that the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) liked ginger very much. Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri narrates:
“The ruler of Rome once sent a basket of dried ginger (sonth) as a gift to the Prophet. The Prophet distributed a piece to everyone present there and gave one piece to me as well.”
Ginger, botanically known as Zingiber officinale is native to India and in old days Arabs used to import dried Ginger (Urdu-Sonth) from India. The Arabic word Zanjbil is said to have been derived from the Sanskrit word Sringeber. This Arabic term later became the root for ginger-related words in nearly all global languages
Maulana Syed Sulaiman Nadvi has stated (Khutbad e Madras. Lectures of Madras) that ‘’for us (Indian), it is a matter of great pride that there are some fortunate words of our country which have found a place in the Holy Qur’an. There cannot be any doubt that the three fragrances of our paradise (India) have been referred to in connection with the Paradise (of Allah) and these are Misk, Zanjbil and Kafur”. Thus, according to Maulana Sulaiman Nadvi these three words have been derived from Indian words of Mushk, (which refers to the aromatic substance derived from the navel of a particular species of deer. This word is used in Surah Al-Mutaffifin (Verse 8)], Sringevera (Jaranjbera) and Karpura (Kapur) respectively. Similar views have been expressed by Zubair Siddiqui (Studies in Arabic and Persian Literature 1959). He has written that apart from Zanjbil and Kafur another Quranic word Tuba has been derived from Sanskrit word Tupa
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Ginger, the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, is a wonderful plant product which is now used throughout the world. The plant is a perennial herb and grows to about 3 – 4 feet high with a thick spreading tuberous rhizome.
India is the major producer of ginger, accounting for around 35% of the global production. In 2023, India’s ginger production was estimated to be around 2.43 million metric tons. The states of Kerala, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, and Nagaland are the main producers of ginger in India. Major importing nations include Iran, Kuwait, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, England, and the United States. Ginger preserve, often made by cooking ginger in sugar syrup, is a product made from ginger. Some of the main countries producing ginger preserve India (mainly Kerala), China, Thailand, Jamaica, Indonesia and Japan, these countries utilize their locally grown ginger to create ginger preserves, catering to both domestic and international markets like Europe and Middle East
Major constituents of essential oil of Ginger (2 – 4 %) are camphene, phellandrene, Zingiberine, cineol, a-pinene, camphene, b-pinene and geraniol, it also contains the oleoresin named as gingerin. The Ginger oil and Ginger oleoresin and also the preserved Ginger have become important items in the international trade. These are used in food preparations and drinks like Pastries, Biscuits, Curries, Condiments, Gingerbread, Ginger Beer, Pickles, Syrups, Conserves etc.
Ginger has been used as a medicine since very early times and has been mentioned in old literature of Sanskrit and Chinese and also in the ancient literature of Greeks, Romans and Arabs.
Ginger is a stimulant to the gastrointestinal tract and, therefore, highly digestive. It is extremely useful in dyspepsia, flatulence, colic, vomiting, spasms, and other painful affections of the stomach and asthma. Ginger juice with lemon juice and rock salt, when taken before meals, is very useful in loss of appetite. It is also prescribed for cases of biliousness and delirium. Relaxed sore throat, hoarseness, and loss of voice are benefitted by chewing a piece of ginger to produce a copious flow of saliva. Ginger juice is also useful in diabetes and chronic rheumatism and in the early stages of liver cirrhosis. Toothaches and neuralgia headaches are relieved by applying a paste of dried Ginger (Urdu-Sonth) made with water. Ibn Sina has attributed great aphrodisiacal properties to Ginger along with its other medicinal properties. Galen has recommended the use of Ginger in cases of paralysis and all complaints arising from cold humor.
In Europe and America, the use of ginger oil and resin in food has largely replaced powdered ginger or dried ginger (sonth). High-quality biscuits, cakes, pastries, bread, pickles, and beverages such as ginger beer now see extensive use of ginger oil. Ginger has also been noted for its potential to balance blood sugar levels and is considered helpful in increasing blood flow, making it beneficial for heart conditions. Long time back dried Ginger was so important in Europe that people used it as currency.
Juice of fresh ginger with a little juice of fresh garlic and mixed with honey is an excellent remedy for cough and asthma. Paste of powdered dried ginger is applied to the temples to relieve headache.
In summary, ginger not only enhances the flavor of food but also serves as a remedy and prevention for various diseases.
About the Writer:
(Dr. Mohammed Iqtedar Husain Farooqi), Deputy Director (Retired), National Botanical Research Institute, (Govt. of India)
