CRUDE DRUGS. 



487 



Africa has the periderm removed from the vertical sides only, 

 and is known as " coated " ginger ; in the Jamaica variety the peri- 

 derm is completely removed and the product is known as " peeled " 

 or " uncoated " or " scraped " ginger. The latter is sometimes 

 steeped in milk of lime to protect it against the attacks of insects. 

 The Jamaica variety is the official ginger. 



Fig. 212. Transverse section of portion of rhizome of ginger: P, parenchyma con- 

 taining ovoid starch grains; O, oil cells; R, cells containing resin; SF, sclerenchymatic 

 fiber; T, tracheae; S, sieve. 



Jamaica Ginger. Horizontal, laterally compressed, irregu- 

 larly branched pieces (Fig. 211), 4 to 10 cin. long, 4 to 20 mm. 

 broad, 5 to 10 mm. thick; externally light brown, longitudinally 

 wrinkled, with somewhat elliptical, depressed stem-scars, with few 

 fibers of fibrovascular tissue or adhering fragments of periderm ; 

 fracture mealy and with short projecting fibrovascular bundles ; 

 internally, cortex light brown, o.i to 0.4 mm. thick; central cylin- 

 der with numerous circular groups of fibrovascular tissue and 

 yellowish secretion cells ; odor strongly aromatic ; taste pungent. 



Inner Structure. See Figs. 212, 214. 



Ginger which is bleached by means of sulphur fumes or bleach- 



