Awapuhi Extract (Zingiber Zerumbet)Maui Nani uses Awapuhi extract in our Awapuhi Toner.Awapuhi or Awapuhi Kuahiwi, Zingiber zerumbet, is one of the Hawaiian canoe plants. Believed to have originated in India, it is found throughout Southeast Asia where it has been used in traditional medicine primarily to treat swelling. It was brought to Hawaii by the early Polynesian settlers. All parts of the Awapuhi were used by the Hawaiians. The leaves and stems were used in cooking to flavor food in the imu (underground oven). The clear slimy and sudsy juice of the mature flower bracts was used as a hair dressing and shampoo. The underground rhizome was used by the Hawaiians to treat bruises, cuts, sores, headaches, toothache and various skin diseases. The rhizome was also dried and ground up into a powder to scent stored kapa cloth. Awapuhi is a perennial plant growing in thick stands both in gardens and in the wild . The leaves and stems die back in the fall and the plant stays dormant through the winter. In the spring, late April, the plants begin to grow above ground again with first the stems and leaves coming in followed by the bracts or flower heads. The bracts are initially green, but turn red slowly and small white flowers become visible. Once the whole bract is red, the bract juice can be squeezed out and enjoyed. There has been much interest in Awapuhi recently . The essential oil extracted by steam distillation has a high concentration of the sesquiterpene phytochemical, zerumbone. Zerumbone is a promising new anticancer bioactive compound. The aqueous and ethanolic extracts of the Zingiber zerumbet rhizome have been shown to reduce swelling and aid in healing. This anti-inflammatory action of the aqueous extract is what makes our Awapuhi Toner so soothing. Additional information:Awapuhi canoe plant information Wikipedia listing for Zingiber zerumbet Images of Zingiber Zerumbet growing wild on Maui Excellent list of references on zingiber zerumbet Zerumbone induced apoptosis in liver cancer cells via modulation of Bax/Bcl-2 ratio Chemical investigation of the leaf and rhizome essential oils of Zingiber zerumbet (L.) Smith from Bangladesh ANTI INFLAMMATORY PROPERTY OF ETHANOL AND WATER EXTRACTS OF ZINGIBER ZERUMBET Anti-pyretic and Analgesic Activity of Zingiber zerumbet Anti-hypersensitive and anti-inflammatory activities of water extract of Zingiber zerumbet ANTI-PYRETIC AND ANALGESIC ACTIVITIES OF Zingiber zerumbet EXTRACTS |