Awapuhi Ginger, Zingiber zurembet
If you live in a temperate to tropical climate & have areas of your property that are shaded or have filtered sunlight, you can grow Awapuhi ginger. We have many clusters of this beautiful species growing all around our food forest garden & are more than happy to offer some rooted rhizomes to our locals, upon request. (They will also be available at our scheduled Saturday events over the coming weeks.)
Awapuhi has also been given the name of Pinecone Ginger or Shampoo Ginger. The rhizomes (roots) can be pounded into a pulp & used as a medicinal tea for indigestion & circulation, or it could also be used as a poultice for toothaches & severe sprains. While awapuhi rhizomes are not as tasty as the traditional/store-bought ginger varieties, the greatest pleasure of growing this perennial lies within the clear juices of the pinecone-shaped flower heads. The slippery excretions of the awapuhi flowers are gently squeezed out & can be used as a skin emollient, or as a Shampoo+Conditioner that can be rinsed out or left in the hair. Hawaiian women have used the awapuhi juice in their hair for ages & Paul Mitchell felt it was valuable enough to put into a line shampoos & other products back in 1983 (his awapuhi wild ginger line is still selling today.)
***Photo of flower heads at our homestead in September last year & click here to see our YouTube video of our own little garden gnome showing you how to harvest & use the juices!
