Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda
Crepe ginger (Cheilocostus speciosus), of the Costaceae family. Tall herb with spirally arranged leaves on a cane-like stem, from a stout rhizome; native range: damp forest and stream-banks across tropical Asia. Globally recognized as kemuka / keu in Sanskrit, keu / kust in Hindi, bi qiao jiang (閉鞘薑) in Chinese, and spiral flag, wild ginger in English. The part used is rhizome. A fleshy, mucilaginous rhizome, bitter and acrid, faintly ginger-scented.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
CREPE GINGER
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Crepe ginger
- Scientific name
- Cheilocostus speciosus (J.Koenig) C.D.Specht
- Family
- Costaceae
Form
- Part used
- rhizome
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- bitter · pungent
- Ayurveda
- bitter · astringent · pungent (tikta, kashaya, katu)
Temperature
- TCM
- cool
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Bladder · Kidney
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- clears heat, promotes urination, reduces swelling and resolves toxicity
- Ayurveda
- kaphahara, virechana (purgative), krimighna (anthelmintic), kushthaghna (cleanses skin), shothahara (anti-inflammatory)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- pregnancy and weak digestion; the purgative dose in debility
- Toxicity
- the fresh rhizome is acrid; large doses cause griping and purging
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