Kapur Kachri

Hedychium spicatum is a small, hardy perennial about 1 metre tall, native to China, the Himalayas, Myanmar and Thailand. It has green leaves and large orange and white flowers, and is also called spiked ginger lily or perfume ginger. The page says Ayurveda describes it as pungent, light, bitter, strong and heating, and that it is an ingredient in some traditional Chinese, Tibetan and Unani medicine. The powder and decoction of the rhizome are used for a variety of conditions, and people in Uttarakhand chew the rhizome to clean the mouth. Crushed rhizomes are very aromatic, with a smell like orris root but more powerful. Abir, a fragrant coloured powder marketed for religious ceremonies, is prepared from the dried rhizomes. The dried root is often used as incense in Ethiopia.