Zingiber officinale or Ginger is a rhizomatous herbaceous plant with long, leafy, reed-like stems which bear white flowers with purple streaks in summer.
The flowers are complex and waxy in appearance but this plant is generally grown for its rhizome root - kitchen ginger.
Apart from being a key ingredient in so many Asian dishes, the powdered form is used in sweet making and when it is sliced and pickled it is a superb accompaniment to Japanese food.
Ginger also has many medicinal properties including helping ward off sea-sickness.
Ginger infusions when mixed with Peppermint are also a very healthy drink, though it is best consumed during the day as the stimulatory properties of ginger may influence sleep patterns.