炮姜 (pào jiāng) is a traditional Chinese medicinal ingredient made by baking fresh ginger until it becomes dry and dark brown. The character 炮 (pào) means 'to process by dry-frying or baking'—a specific method in Chinese herbal preparation—while 姜 (jiāng) means 'ginger'. Unlike raw or dried ginger, 炮姜 has a milder, warmer, and more astringent nature, making it especially suitable for treating internal cold conditions, chronic diarrhea, or uterine bleeding due to deficiency-cold.

This herb is rarely used in everyday cooking; instead, it appears almost exclusively in classical herbal formulas prescribed by TCM practitioners. Its name reflects its processing method rather than its appearance or origin—it’s not 'cannon ginger' nor related to firearms. In clinical practice, it’s often combined with other warming herbs like 附子 (fù zǐ) or 人参 (rén shēn) to reinforce yang energy and stop bleeding caused by cold deficiency.