ginger vs spice up

ginger is a noun but spice up is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
ginger	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
spice up	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, spice up is a hypernym of ginger; that is, spice up is a word with a broader meaning than ginger:

Other hypernyms of ginger include spice, zest.

ginger (noun)	spice up (noun)
liveliness and energy
dried ground gingerroot
pungent rhizome of the common ginger plant; used fresh as a seasoning especially in Asian cookery
perennial plants having thick branching aromatic rhizomes and leafy reedlike stems

ginger (adjective)	spice up (adjective)
(used especially of hair or fur) having a bright orange-brown color

ginger (verb)	spice up (verb)
add ginger to in order to add flavor	make more interesting or flavorful
	add herbs or spices to