There are many hidden treasure here and one such treasure is “Shampoo Ginger” or the Zingiber Zerumbet flower that grows here. It is in my opinion, one of the most fascinating plants I have ever seen.
The beehive like structure, texture and rich spectrum of colors from creamy green, then yellow and orange, and finally to a vibrant deep red are incredibly remarkable, especially to an artist/photographer like myself.
I have recently started a new phase of my life. At 53, I have put my time in as a soccer mom and have been released on early parole as I tell my friends here. My husband of 33 years and I sold almost everything we owned and packed our bags and leaped straight into paradise.
Moving to a tropical island let alone a tropical rain forest, una selva lluviosa, has many incredible, fascinating rewards and challenges. It brings nature into your front door and I must say that for this former city dweller it has been an adventure of a lifetime.
My island is in a remote very untouched and natural part of the Caribbean. We live a very natural and simple, off-the-grid life here, which has made this post about a natural product, unprocessed and straight from the flower is so exciting to me.
I have taken several fantastic photos of these wonderful flowers while they are in bloom. A few are posted here and you can also view more photos of this flower as well as additional work in my gallery – A Walk In The Art… www.awalkintheart.com
Shampoo ginger has a long and interesting history. According to Skinner (1999), Shampoo Ginger is native to Southeast Asia but was brought to tropical locations where it continues to grow and thrive.
Although I first heard of the name of this plant from a friend and was told that I could harvest the water it collects and use it as shampoo, many cultures have long ago adopted this usage and for medicinal and other purposes.
I have admired these flowers since the moment I saw them.
Well today I took a bowl outside and acquired some of the thick clear pinkish fluid that resides in the cones of the plant. It was quite easy as I used great care to place the bowl under the flower and simply tipped it sideways.
The fluid poured into my bowl without any issues at all. I was able to collect about one cup of the fluid
from harvesting 3 medium size plants.
I was very surprised that not only did the fluid pour out easily, but there was quite a bit of fluid in each flowery cone. The fragrance was extraordinarily delightful a mix of ginger and flower.
I wish I could have bottled that wonderful intoxicating spell. The “shampoo” is also sold in many health and natural products stores. Hmm, perhaps I should start to bottle it?
Na, I am going to be selfish and wash my hair with it tonight.
I will be posting a follow up after my delicious decadent bath tonight. It rains a lot in the rain forest so I am sure the cones will
fill again and again for me. What
a delight!
For more information about the author or to visit the author’s on-line Art Gallery, Studio or Blogs, go to www.awalkintheart.com At, A Walk In The Art, there is a variety of Fine Art Photography, Watercolors, Driftwood Paintings and Multimedia Artwork.
Skinner, Dave. “Zingiber Zerumbet Plant Profile.” Zingiber Zerumbet. 2015 Floridata.com LLC, 28 Dec. 1999. Web. 22 July 2017.