182 PHILIPPINE RESINS, GUMS, AND OILS 
centimeters long and 8 to 15 centimeters wide. The fiower stalks : 
spring directly from the rootstocks and not from the leaf tuft, 
and often appear before the leaves. The spike is cylindrical, 
5 to 8 centimeters in diameter and 10 to 15 centimeters long, 
and is composed of numerous somewhat spreading, rounded 
bracts, the lower of which are green and more or less tipped 
with pink, the upper ones usually longer and purple, each con- 
taining several flowers, of which the lower open first. The 
corolla tube is about 2 centimeters long, yellowish-white, some- 
times tinged with purple. 
This species is probably a native of India, but is now widely 
distributed in the warmer parts of the eastern hemisphere. It 
is common and widely distributed in thickets and open places 
in the settled parts of the Philippines. 
Genus ZINGIBER 
ZINGIBER OFFICINALE Bosc. GINGER. 
Local names: Agdt (Pangasinan); gengibre (Spanish); laya (Pam- 
panga); layad (Abra, Ilocos Norte and Sur, Capiz, Iloilo); la-yd or lay-d 
(Zambales, Camarines, Albay, Sorsogon); luya (Tarlac, Bulacan, Bataan, 
Rizal, Laguna, Manila, Batangas, Tayabas, Mindoro, Marinduque) ; luy-a 
(Albay, Iloilo, Occidental Negros, Misamis, Cuyo Islands). 
GINGER 
Zingiber officinale is cultivated in all parts of the Philippines, 
but never on a large scale, and is not exported. The dried root 
of this plant has a pungent, aromatic odor and is commonly 
known as ginger. Ginger is used as a condiment and as a fla- 
voring agent. It is also employed medicinally as an aromatic 
stimulant and carminative, and is given in cases of dyspepsia 
and flatulent colic. It is utilized in the manufacture of ginger 
beer and ginger ale and also as a spice and a confection. 
Ginger consists essentially of a volatile oil, a resin, and starch. 
Its pungency is due to the resin it contains, while the aroma is 
given by the volatile oil. An analysis of Calcutta ginger quoted 
by Leach * gave the following results: 
Waiters cet eee Sale 2 ya ieee) en 9.60 
BAIS Tire 2 eres BS a Sh 0 ee ee nee 7.02 
Violatile (oils 2. tee Se ee ee ee eee PPA 
Mixed roland: resin-s te .tcs. Ps 2 Sae e see 4.58 
SAFE (Cl ¢ MORE ane ae eR PN Beek, SPN ee SE ee oe Ot 49.34 
Crude fibres 26. h e eeee T.A5 
FAD UMN OLDS: ates tees ee ee ee 6.30 
Undetermined ....-. 2) ea ee eee 13.44 
INGrOpeH. ease. eed eee att eee ane eae 1.01 

* Leach, A. E., Food inspection and analysis (1914), page 446. 
