GingerGingeris one[aut]Zingiber officinaleof the oldest remedies; Greeks became aware of it probably through Persian physicians. Dioscorides described it as hot, digestive, gently laxative, stomachic and having all the properties of pepperPepper; it was an ingredient in collyria and antidotes to poison. Galen recommended it in all complaints arising from cold humours. Avicenna and other Arab and Persian physicians followed the Greeks but expanded its use as an aphrodisiac. It has been used as antiemetic in various traditional systems of medicine for over 2000 years. GingerGingerwas introduced from India/China into the Mediterranean region in the 1st Century A.D. In Ayurvedic texts, it is described as acrid and digestive, useful for the removal of cold humours, costiveness, nausea, asthma, cough, colic, palpitation of the heart, tympanites, swellings, and piles. GingerGingeris one of the three acrids of Hindu physicians, the other two being black pepperBlack pepperand long pepperPepper. GingerGingerwas one of the most commonly reported herbs used during early pregnancy among women in the United States, and 57.8% Norwegian women who reported using herbal remedies during pregnancy, used most commonly gingerGinger, cranberry, and raspberry leaf. GingerGinger is used as a natural galactagogue by breastfeeding Thai women. It is also reputed in relieving suppressed or retarded menstruation. Chinese describe gingerGinger(Shengjiang) as pungent and warm; and as a cold-discutient, diaphoretic, antiemetic, mucolytic, antitussive, detoxicant, and anti-inflammatory. Gingerols of various chain lengths, with 6-gingerol being the most plentiful, are the most abundant pungent compounds in fresh rhizomes. Gingerols are thermally labile in aqueous solution, and form the corresponding shogaols upon dehydration reactions that imparts the characteristic pungent taste to dried gingerGinger. Both gingerols and shogaols are responsible for pharmacological activities of gingerGinger. In a comparative with ibuprofen and placebo crossover study, gingerGingerextract treatment of Danish patients with osteoarthritis of hip or knee demonstrated a significant effect compared to placebo before crossover. A three-months gingerGingertreatment of Iranian patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis significantly reduced levels of inflammatory markers, NO and hsCRP, compared to placebo group.