← The ApothecaryZingiberaceaerhizome, juice of the flower conesFact-checked 24 October 2026

Shampoo ginger

Zingiber zerumbet

Also calledLempoyang (Malay) · Lempuyang (Indonesian) · 'Awapuhi (Hawaiian) · Bitter ginger · Pinecone ginger

In older monographsAmomum zerumbet, Zingiber zerumbet (L.) Roscoe ex Sm.

A wild ginger of tropical Asia, carried across the Pacific, whose bitter rhizome (lempoyang in Malay) is a folk remedy for pain, swelling, stomach upsets and worms, and whose slimy cone juice Hawaiians used as a shampoo. Its main compound, zerumbone, has been studied widely in animals, but a 2024 scoping review found no published clinical trials.

What it is used for

Pain (general)
Limited
Used in Southeast Asian and Hawaiian folk medicine for sprains, sore spots and pain. Zerumbone, the essential oil and methanol extracts reduced pain responses in rodent models of acute, inflammatory and nerve pain; no human trials were found.^1,2
Wounds and cuts
Limited
Hawaiians applied the pounded rhizome and leaf ash to cuts and bruises. Topical zerumbone sped wound healing in rat and mouse excision-wound studies; no human data.^2,1
Cancer: drugs and supportive care
Limited
A small uncontrolled pilot study gave 400 mg zerumbone twice daily to 35 people with advanced solid tumours (16 finished eight weeks); quality-of-life, anxiety, depression and fatigue scores improved, which the authors say needs a placebo-controlled trial to confirm. Anti-tumour effects otherwise rest on lab and animal work.^3,1
Arthritis and joint pain
Traditional
Recorded as an antirheumatic and, in Hawaii, applied to aching joints. Zerumbone reduced inflammatory markers in a rat osteoarthritis model, but no clinical studies exist.^2,1
Indigestion and dyspepsia
Traditional
Malay, Thai, Taiwanese and Indian folk uses include stomach ache, poor appetite and flatulence; untested in people.^2,1
Diarrhoea
Traditional
Diarrhoea and constipation are both among the recorded folk uses; no clinical data.²
Intestinal worms
Traditional
In Malay folk medicine the juice of the boiled rhizome is given to children with worms; no studies in people were found.²
Toothache
Traditional
Cooked rhizome is recorded for toothache in India and Hawaii; untested.²
Hair and scalp
Traditional
The slimy juice of the flower cones was used by Hawaiians as a shampoo and hair conditioner; this is a cosmetic use with no clinical testing.²

How it is prepared

fresh plant

Fresh or boiled rhizome, eaten or pounded and applied (Malay and Hawaiian practice as recorded by Yob et al. 2011).

Indigestion and dyspepsia · Pain (general)

poultice

Pounded rhizome laid on sore spots, bruises and cuts (Hawaiian practice).

Wounds and cuts · Bruises and sprains

tincture

Rhizome macerated in alcohol (Chinese folk practice).

General tonic

Amounts are as recorded by the named source, not a recommendation.

Safety

Pregnancy: Insufficient data
Breastfeeding: Insufficient data
Children: No safety data in children beyond the traditional use against worms.

Interactions with medicines

anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugsMinorTheoretical only: a methanol extract strongly inhibited platelet-activating-factor binding to rabbit platelets in the test tube. No human reports.

Interaction checker →

Side effects

Not systematically recorded in people; the zerumbone pilot study in cancer patients reported low toxicity

Toxicity

In animals the ethanol extract was well tolerated for up to 28 days (acute NOAEL 15 g/kg; subacute LOAEL 3000 mg/kg in rats) and was not genotoxic in mouse bone marrow. Zerumbone gave mixed results: one study found appetite loss, low body temperature, behavioural change and discoloured skin, fur, teeth and eyes at 200 mg/kg, which higher-dose studies did not reproduce. Reviewers call for proper safety data before clinical trials.

In the healing traditions

Southeast Asian (Jamu, Thai, Philippine…)
Lempoyang
Malays use the fresh or boiled rhizome for oedema, stomach ache, sores and loss of appetite, and the boiled-rhizome juice for worms in children; in Thailand the fresh rhizome is used against flatulence. The rhizome is also a food flavouring and appetiser.
Pacific / Polynesian
'Awapuhi
Hawaiians applied the pounded rhizome to sore spots, bruises and cuts, rubbed it with salt on the head for headache, used it for toothache, ringworm, aching joints and stomach ache, and used the milky juice of the cones as a shampoo.
Indian folk medicine
Zingiber zerumbet rhizome (local names not given in the source)
Rhizome powder mixed with ripe noni (Morinda citrifolia) for severe pain; cooked rhizome for toothache, cough, asthma, worms, leprosy and other skin diseases; ground rhizome in water for stomach ache.
Chinese folk medicine
Zingiber zerumbet rhizome (Chinese name not given in the sources consulted)
Rhizome macerated in alcohol as a tonic, depurative or stimulant; in Taiwan used as an anti-inflammatory adjuvant for stomach ache, sprain and fever.

Active compounds

zerumbone: sesquiterpenoid, the main constituent of the rhizome essential oil; analgesic and anti-inflammatory in rodent studies
humulene and humulene epoxides: sesquiterpenes of the rhizome oil, first identified in 1944
kaempferol glycosides: flavonoids isolated from the fresh rhizome

History

The rhizome has long served as both spice and medicine in Malay and Indian cooking and folk practice. Cultivated for ornament and medicine, it spread from tropical Asia throughout the Pacific; in Hawaii the mucilage of the cone-shaped flower heads was used as a shampoo and hair conditioner, which gave the plant its English name.

Sources

Reference, not prescription. Nothing here is medical advice. Herbs can interact with medicines and be dangerous in pregnancy; tell your doctor or pharmacist about anything you take.