Crepe Ginger may help diabetes and liver disease
Crepe ginger, Costus speciosus, is also called cane reed, crape ginger, Malay ginger, spiral flag and spiral ginger (but this last name is also used as a name for the entire genus Costus). It is in the same family, Zingiberaceae, as ginger, but is not related to sweet flag. It has a number of Latin synonyms as well: Banksea speciosa, Cheilocostus speciosus, Costus formosanus, Costus spicatus var. pubescens and Hellenia grandiflora.
Though it’s not really obvious from the picture shown, it has large glossy leaves rather like a rubber plant arranged spirally around the stem, which makes it an ideal house plant.
The flowers look as if they were made from crepe paper, which accounts for the name, and are produced from a knobbly bud-shaped cone – not from the top but from various places all around. If it’s happy, no doubt several flowers will be produced in succession.
Most members of the family Zingiberaceae are fragrant, but I haven’t been able to find any definite information about this plant’s fragrance.
The species is a perennial which reaches a height of 6-10 feet (2-3m) in good conditions, the leaves are 6-12 (15-30cm) inches long, and the individual flowers are up to 3 inches (4-8cm) across, but there are several cultivars which are smaller, for example ‘Pink Shadow’, which looks very beautiful, but only attains a height of around 5 feet (probably a good thing, if you’re planning on growing it indoors), and there are also variegated varieties which are less likely to flower. In tropical areas, you can grow it outside, but please note that in these conditions crepe ginger can become invasive.
Crepe ginger is not hardy, requiring a minimum temperature of 55ºF (13ºC) day and night to survive.
Crepe ginger is not suitable for use by pregnant women except during labor as a birthing aid.
The parts used in herbal remedies are the sap, leaves, young stems and the rhizomes (a rhizome is a large underground stem).
The sap of young leaves and stems can be taken internally for diarrhea, for ear infections and eye infections.
Make a decoction using 30g (1 ounce) of dried rhizome added to 570ml (2.5 US cups, 1 UK pint) of cold water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, continue heating until the liquid is reduced by half, then strain and bottle, being careful to label with the name of the herb and the date. This may be refrigerated for use within 3-4 days. The dose is up to 1 US cup (240ml, 8 fl oz) per day, split into 3 doses. This can be used to treat coughs and colds, congestion of the nose and lungs, and internal parasites. It can also be used externally to treat skin infections.
In Malaysia, the juice of the rhizome is used as a purgative.
Various studies have found that an extract of the rhizome can be used to lower blood sugar levels, to treat inflammation of the liver, to fight stress, and as an antioxidant. It also increased uterine contractions making it a useful birthing aid where contractions are insufficient. Significant quantities of diosgenin (used to produce artificial hormones such as progesterone) were also found.
Although crepe ginger has a reputation in some areas as an aphrodisiac, no studies have demonstrated this effect.
If you live in the tropics, it may be feasible to grow crepe ginger for medicinal use, in which case I advise that you stick to organic methods, so as to avoid its active constituents being corrupted. To find out more about growing organic herbs visit the Gardenzone.
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