ZINZIBER ZERUMBET: AWAPUHI (LEMPOYANG)

Scientific classification
Kingdom:Plantae
Division:Magnoliophyta
Class:Liliopsida
Order:Zingiberales
Family:Zingiberaceae
Genus:Zingiber
Species:Z. zerumbet
Binomial nameZingiber zerumbet

Zingiber zerumbet (Awapuhi) is a vigorous ginger with leafy stems growing to about 1.2 m tall.

Medicinal Uses
In Hawaii the spicy-smelling fresh rhizomes were pounded and used as medicine for indigestion and other ailments. The rhizomes can be stored in a cool, dark place to keep for use when needed. In traditional use, the rhizome was ground in a stone mortar with a stone pestle, was mixed with a ripe Noni fruit and then used to treat severe sprains. The pulp was placed in a cloth and loosely bound around the injured area.
For a toothache or a cavity, the cooked and softened 'Awapuhi rhizome was pressed into the hollow and left for as long as was needed.
To ease a stomach ache, the ground and strained rhizome material is mixed with water and drunk. Similarly, 'Awapuhi Pake or Ginger root (Zingiber officinale) is widely cultivated and eaten, or made into a tea for indigestion as well as increased circulation of the blood and an increased sense of well-being.
An extract,"Zerumbone", from Zingiber zerumbet smith, has been found to induce apoptosis, or programmed cell death, in human liver cancer cells, in an in vitro study. ([1] (Cancer Cell International, April 3, 2007).

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zingiber_zerumbet