During my visit to the Trishvam Symphony resort in Krishnagiri, I had the pleasure of realizing that a large part of their well landscaped garden was dedicated to the prolifically growing Shampoo ginger shrub.

The Zingiber zerumbet is also called pinecone ginger because of the likeness of its flower head inflorescence to the pine cone.

This is an unusual plant whose mature flowers produce a mildly scented and slightly soapy fluid, somewhat like thin honey in viscosity.

This blog post is to document what little I have learnt about this plant and I will update the information as and when I discover more about it.

The remarkable liquid produced by the flowers, contains natural saponins (agents that foam) and hence can be used as a natural shampoo and conditioner.

The liquid and other parts of the plant like leaves and roots also have medicinal properties and are used in herbal foods, medicines and cosmetics.

The immature flower heads resemble pale green pinecones. On maturing, they turn a deep red and yield this interesting liquid when gently squeezed. The liquid can be collected in a container and used on the hair or even to moisturize the skin.

I have not tried using it myself but I have seen online videos of the same. You can conduct your own experiments if ever you get access of it.

The collected liquid lasts for a few days when refrigerated and apparently is conducive to freezing too.

I do not know much about this plant and whatever information I have mentioned here, is gathered from friends and Mother Google but I was really excited to actually get my hands on (literally) this plant and experience its wonderful properties first hand.

The video gives you a glimpse of what the plant looks like and how one can harvest the liquid.

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I hope you enjoyed reading this post. Do let me know in the comments below if there is any specific ingredient or rare fruit or vegetable that you want me to write about in future.

For more pictures see My Facebook – Shampoo Ginger (coming soon)

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Nov 16th,17th 2025