Scarlet Spiral Flag aka Shampoo Ginger
Native to India and the Malay Peninsula, this plant is a clumping perennial that has reed-like stems. It can be found growing in the wild near rivers, waterfalls and other water sources.
The floral bracts are green when young and red when old. The actual flowers are inconspicuous, 3-petaled, and pale yellowish flowers that emerge from between the floral bracts. After flowering, the bracts become a showy shade of red. This is the time to harvest the slippery liquid that is exuded from the flowers. This liquid has a soapy feeling and a ginger scent.
The seeds are black. The leaves are green and alternate. The leaf sheaths wrap around the stems, and the leaf blades are oblanceolate or narrowly oblong in shape.
SCIENTIFIC NAME
Zingiber zerumbet
Synonym:
Amomum zerumbet
COMMON NAME
Shampoo Ginger, Bitter Ginger, 'Awapuhi, 'Awapuhi kuahiwi, Pinecone Ginger, Wild Ginger, Pinecone Lily, Red Button Ginger.
CLASSIFICATIONS AND CHARACTERISTICS
PLANT CARE AND PROPAGATION
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Plants are best grown in full sun to part shade in areas with high humidity and consistently moist summer soils.
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Medium
Propagation: By rhizome division.
USES
- The inflorescences are filled with a clear, slimy-sudsy, ginger-scented fluid that can be squeezed out and used as shampoo. The shampoo can be left in as a hair conditioner or rinsed out.
- The roots were used for medicinal purposes and dried to make a fragrant powder.
- The leaves were wrapped around baked meat to flavor it. Its leaves are used as a food wrap that will help keep fish moist while adding the flavor of ginger to the food.
- The oils from the rhizome is used in making perfumed soaps and other toilet articles. Ground into a powder, the dried rhizome is used as a perfume.
Watch a video on using it to wash and condition your hair and skin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JyGQ8auCUI
Disclaimer
The information in this website is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment. Readers should always consult his/her physician before using or consuming a plant for medicinal purposes.
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