Witnessed by: TCM · Ayurveda · Unani
Spiked ginger lily (Hedychium spicatum), of the Zingiberaceae family. Erect rhizomatous perennial herb with broad leaves and a fragrant spike of white-and-orange flowers; native range: Temperate Himalaya from Kashmir to Bhutan and into south-west China, 1500–3000 m; also Yunnan hillsides. Globally recognized as shati (शटी), gandhapalasi, karchura in Sanskrit, kapur kachri, seedhal in Hindi, cao guo yao (草果药) in Chinese, kapur kachri (كبور كجري) in Arabic, and spiked ginger lily, perfume ginger in English. The part used is rhizome. Hard, ringed, pale-brown rhizome, bitter and acrid to the tongue, breathing a warm camphoraceous, faintly gingery scent when broken.
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.
SPIKED GINGER LILY
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Spiked ginger lily
- Scientific name
- Hedychium spicatum Sm.
- Family
- Zingiberaceae
Form
- Part used
- rhizome
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- TCM
- pungent
- Ayurveda
- pungent (katu) · bitter (tikta)
- Unani
- pungent · aromatic
Temperature
- TCM
- warm
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna)
- Unani
- hot & dry (2nd degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- TCM
- Spleen · Stomach · Lung
- Unani
- stomach · lungs · brain
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- TCM
- warms the middle and dispels cold, moves qi and aids digestion, transforms cold phlegm and stops cough
- Ayurveda
- dipana-pachana (kindles digestion), kaphavata-hara, svasahara-kasahara (relieves breath and cough), krimighna (anthelmintic), mukhadaurgandhya-nashana (sweetens the breath)
- Unani
- kaasir-e-riyah (carminative), muhallil (resolvent), mufarreh (exhilarant of the heart and brain), an aromatic stimulant of the stomach and lungs
Cautions
- Contraindications
- high pitta and heat states, acid dyspepsia; caution in pregnancy
- Toxicity
- well tolerated in customary and culinary doses; large doses may irritate a hot stomach
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