Description

Perennial herb with large, tapering, elliptical leaves, pink or yellow flowers, and an aromatic, pale yellow root.

Habitat & Cultivation

Zedoary is a common Indian and East Asian plant. It is cultivated in India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, China, and Madagascar.

Part Used

Rhizome.

Constituents

Zedoary contains a volatile oil, sesquiterpenes, curcumemone, curcumol, and curdione. Curcumol and curdione have cancerfighting properties.

Medicinal Actions & Uses

An aromatic, bitter digestive stimulant, zedoary is used in much the same way as ginger (Zingiber officinale)—to relieve indigestion, nausea, flatulence, and bloating, and generally to improve digestion. The rhizome is used in China to treat certain types of tumors.

Research

In trials carried out in China, zedoary was found to reduce cervical cancer, and increase the cancer-killing effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Related Species

In Chinese herbal medicine, zedoary is often substituted for turmeric (C. longa).