Ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale), known as ginger, has multiple pharmacological actions. It is thought that pungent components of ginger act on the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) ion channel and contribute to the recovery of swallowing reflex through elevation of substance P, known as one of neuropeptides. The precise mechanism, however, remains largely unclear. We immunohistochemically examined the acute effects of ginger in the mouse tongue. The saline solution containing 20% ginger (w/v) was administered orally in aging mice. In control mice, only the saline solution was administered. At 5 minutes after oral administration, mice were transcardially perfused with 2% paraformaldehyde in 0.1M phosphate buffer (PB) under anesthesia. The tongue was removed, postfixed with the same fixative solution overnight, and cryoprotected using 25% sucrose in 0.1M PB. Serial frozen sections of the tongue were prepared for immunohistochemistry. Sections were incubated with primary antibodies, and with fluorescently labeled secondary antibodies. The samples were examined on a confocal laser scanning microscope. As a result, in salivary gland cells of the tongue, the expression of substance P was increased in ginger-stimulated mice as compared to control mice. Moreover, the part of salivary gland tissues in ginger-stimulated mice was immunopositive for TRPV1 and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). These results suggest that ginger promotes the secretion of saliva including substance P through nervous system, and may be relevant to the recovery of swallowing reflex with increased salivation.