Ginger (shown in the image below) works so well against motion sickness that some cruise ships now make it available for passengers. It also seems to ease symptoms of morning sickness, and most herbalists consider it safe to use in pregnancy if you don’t have a history of miscarriage.

No relation to the cold-hardy ground cover called wild ginger in the Asarum genus, ginger has narrow, lance-shaped leaves, up to a foot long in a grass like clump. The blooms are rather unexciting green cones with tiny dark red flowers, but both the leaves and flowers have a ginger scent. The knobby mature root has a tan skin covering a cream-colored, crunchy interior.

Buy a plant or the root (called a hand because of the way it branches) from a nursery, or buy a root from the grocery store. Make sure that it’s plump and smooth, not dry and wrinkled, and that it has several eyes like those you see on potatoes. You may have better luck with one of the green roots sold in Asian markets. Whether in the ground or a container, ginger needs loose, organically rich soil, warmth, and humidity.

Set the hand two inches deep (about one foot apart, outdoors), keep the soil moist, and feed your plant monthly with compost tea. In eight to ten months, you can harvest the root. Save a plump piece to start your next crop.

If you need to keep fresh ginger longer than three weeks, peel and slice it into a bit of sherry, and store it in the refrigerator.