Its aphrodisiac properties led the Portuguese to expand its cultivation in eastern Africa in order to feed it to all male slaves: the more amorous they were inclined to be, the more the slave population would increase. Even today ginger is used in the Arab world to awaken carnal desire. In Senegal, women make themselves belts from ginger roots to arouse their husbands!

Ginger's sexual connotation is due in part to the fact that the root bears a strange resemblance to a little man. But on a more scientific level, its vasodilating effects act on the organs of the mid-region, and its energizing properties are widely recognized. Ginger is best when used fresh, grated or preserved.