Distribution and habitat: Found in Western Ghats and also widely cultivated.

Botany: Perennial leafy rhizomatous herb, up to 1.5 m height with elongated leafy stems and horizontal tuberous root stock.

• Leaves   : Sessile, 20-30 x 4-8 cm, oblanceolate, acuminate, glabrous and narrowed.
• Flowers : Spike, upto 7 cm long. Bracts long, closely imbricate, ovate- oblong or obovate, with rounded apex and pale membraneous margins, bright green at first bud becoming red in fruit.
•  Seeds  : Oblong and black.
• Rootstock: Large, not much branched, hard, biennial, yellow inside, with a strong aromatic ginger like taste.

Chemical constituents: Zerumbone. Apart from that it contains diacetone alcohol, α-humulene , caryophyllene oxide, humulene epoxide, Eudesm-7(11)-en-4-ol , aromadendrene oxide etc. It is a good source of sesquiterpenes. 

Uses: Rhizome is used for treating cough, stomach troubles, asthma, worms, leprosy and other skin diseases. Oil obtained from rhizome used in perfumery.

Propagation: Rhizome