Sheng Jiang (Fresh Ginger)

Official Sheng Jiang (生姜) is the fresh rhizome of Zingiber officinale. The pharmacopoeial name is Zingiberis Rhizoma Recens. It is both food and medicine. Gan Jiang is the dried rhizome: acrid-hot, warms the middle to disperse cold, restores Yang and unblocks the vessels, and warms the Lung to transform thin mucus. Pao Jiang is sand-scorched dried ginger: warms the channels to stop bleed and warms the middle to stop pain. Wei Jiang is milder, warming the middle to stop vomit. Jiang Pi is cool and moves water to disperse swelling. Same plant, different freshness and processing—not an equal swap. Write Sheng Jiang; do not dispense Gan Jiang or Pao Jiang to release the exterior and stop vomit.

According to the Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Sheng Jiang is acrid and slightly warm, enters the Lung, Spleen and Stomach channels, and acts to release the exterior and disperse cold, warm the middle to stop vomit, transform phlegm to stop cough, and resolve fish-and-crab toxin. It is used for wind-cold common cold, Stomach-cold vomiting, and cold-phlegm cough. Acrid and slightly warm, it mainly disperses—suited to wind-cold, Stomach cold and cold phlegm, not to Yin-vacuity interior heat, Lung heat, Stomach heat or reckless Blood heat.

Wind-cold exterior patterns, Stomach-cold vomiting and fish-crab toxin use Sheng Jiang, cut thick at the time of use or pounded for juice. Interior-cold abdominal pain and restoring Yang use Gan Jiang. Vacuity-cold bleeding uses Pao Jiang. “Three slices of Sheng Jiang” in a formula is about 3–10 g. Do not mix fresh and dried.