How to Use Pinecone Ginger

Pinecone ginger is a summer flowering plant that grows 4 to 7 feet tall with bracts resembling red pine cones that grace the surrounding stalks in autumn. As the cone-shaped head matures to a bright red, it fills with a fragrant milky juice that is used in shampoo and conditioner for its ability to soften and bring luster to hair, earning the nick name "shampoo ginger." In its adapted home of Hawaii, pinecone ginger is classified among the tropical Awapuhi family of plants and gained famed as the star ingredient in the aptly named Awapuhi shampoo. In addition to the plant's valuable juice, the roots can be harvested and stored in a cool dark place for later use in many traditional healing applications.

Things You'll Need

• Mortar and pestle
• Knife
• Gauze cloth
• Noni fruit
• Strainer

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Instructions

Common Uses

• 1

  Treat a sprain by removing a piece of root from the plant. Cut the larger part of the root that grows underground. Grind the root with a mortar and pestle to a fine pulp. Mix the ginger root with equal parts Noni fruit, also known as Indian Mulberry. Place the mixture in a gauze-type cloth and wrap it around the sprained area.

• 2

  Soothe a tummy ache by removing several roots from the plant. Cut the spicy smelling pale brown, fresh roots found at ground level that grow laterally from the main bulb. Wash the roots and grind or pound them to a pulp. Strain the material and mix with water to create a juice. Drink the juice on an empty stomach.

• 3

  Shampoo or condition hair by removing the bright red cone from the plant. The cone head is not mature and filled with the liquid until it is red. Wet the hair and squeeze the juice from the cone onto the hair as a softening rinse or wash it into the hair. Rinse the hair or leave it in.