This paper proposes a detailed analysis of the literature on spontaneous and cultivated medicinal plant species recommended in the treatment of respiratory diseases (angina, influenza, rhinitis, sinusitis, acute rhinopharyngitis, tracheitis, tracheobronchitis, respiratory viruses, etc.). Also, laboratory investigations (growth monitoring, morpho-anatomy and antibacterial effects of volatile oils) of ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) were made in order to establish optimal growth conditions for this species and to evaluate its suitability for respiratory diseases treatment. The experimental design was based on monitoring the ginger specimens during the growth and development of aerial stems with leaves (daily monitoring and macroscopic photography), making cross-sections (from adventitious roots, rhizomes, aerial stems, leaves), extraction of volatile oils by hydrodistillation of commercially obtained rhizome powder and testing its antibacterial action on strains of some target microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus Rosenbach and Escherichia coli Mig) using the diffusimetric method on Mueller Hinton Agar (MHA). Penicillin was used as positive control, whereas DMSO was the negative control. Morpho-anatomical analyses of vegetative organs did not highlight structural anomalies. Measurements of the inhibition areas of the test microorganism cultures indicated that the tested concentrations (75%, 50%, 25%) of volatile oils extracted from rhizomes did not have an inhibitory effect on gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli, but had an expected inhibitory effect on the gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus, at concentrations of 75%. Also, penicillin did not show an inhibitory effect on the target bacteria. Our study revealed that ginger is indeed a species with potential in respiratory diseases treatment and does not require specific growth conditions. The results on antibacterial activity of volatile oils extracted from ginger rhizomes confirm the observations of other authors, that gram-negative bacteria are more resistant to bioactive compounds with inhibitory effect extracted from plants, and gram-positive bacteria are more sensitive. The phenomenon can be explained by the structural differences of these bacteria.