Shunthi (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) belongs to Zingiberaceae family. It is a perennial erect herb with a creeping tuberous rhizome. Root stock horizontal, tuberous, aromatic, stout, rhizome with erect leafy stems 0.6-1.4 meter high. Stem elongated, leafy, 15-150 cm. tall. Leaves narrow, linear, sessile and sub sessile on the sheaths, with an alternative base, acuminate, glabrous, 10-50 cm. long lower part surrounding the stem, 5-10 inch long, smooth, ligule glabrous and sheaths glabrous.

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... -shoot up to 12 cm long, clothed with sheaths; bracts 2-5 cm x 2 cm, light green; corolla tube light yellow, lip orbicular, dull purple with creamy blotches. Flowering and fruiting during July -September. It is cultivated almost throughout India. Shunthi, mahaushdh, vishw, nagar, vishwbheshaj, vishvaushadh, katugranthi, katubhadr, katushn, sauparn, shringver, kafari, aardrak, shoshan, nagar are its various synonyms found in ayurvedic texts. Rasa -Katu, Gunasnigdha, viryaushna, vipaka -Madhura are properties of this drug. Drug is shothahara and Vatakaphahara and used as deepana and bhedana. It is used in various disease like shula,