Also known as fingerroot is a daily food ingredient and traditional medicinal plant in Southeast Asia and Indo-China. It has been shown to possess anti-allergic, antibacterial, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiulcer activities.
 
 All parts of the plant can be eaten. The roots are used in seafood dishes. They are also eaten raw with rice. Young leaves and stems are mixed with coconut and spices, and steamed in a banana leaf. The plant grows easily in a frost free area, with fertile, well-drained soil and plenty of moisture and compost. Harvest the roots when the plant dies back in winter. It will reappear in spring [so long as you leave some roots there of course]