Ginger is important for its medicinal qualities as well as its culinary uses. It is one of the best kitchen shelf medicines. It is a stimulant and very helpful to the digestive tract and to circulation. Both powdered and fresh ginger root can be made into a tea, which is good for indigestion and also a good treatment for colds and flu. Ginger also relieves sea sickness or travel sickness.
Wild ginger likes limestone and the shade of cedar trees.
In these conditions it will form an excellent ground cover. It grows throughout southern Canada and northern United States. I think it is especially beautiful in early spring when the silvery green spikes are pushing up through the cold soil. Then after they emerge, they open into pairs of slightly hairy leaves with a small red flower bud appearing in each axil. These will open into a remarkable flower that is triangular in shape with three pointed red sepals surrounding a small cream coloured cup.