Making differentiations of Ginger

摘要

Radix Curcuma is a fragrant Zingiberaceae perennial herb,used as a vegetable dyestuff in ancient China.Ginger is the color produced with radix curcuma.Through dying experiments and document records,three conclusions are made in this paper: Firstly,Curcuma longa L is the only radix curcuma that produces dye.Secondly,Radix curcuma was widely planted in early Xihan Dynasty and it was used for dying no later than this time.Although the stuffs dyed with it have no resistance to sunlight,they create a fragrance,so Curcuma longa L was widely used for dying expensive yellow textiles in ancient dynasties; Thirdly,the dyeing is directly made in acid dye with Curcuma longa L.