A perennial herb, up to 3 m high, with rhizome. Leaves linear-lanceolate 50-65 X 6-9 cm, mucronate at apex, asymmetrical at base, hairy at margin; petioles 1.5-2 cm long; ligulates coarsely hairy outside. Raceme erect; bractlets milky white, oval; lip triangular-ovate, 3.5-4 cm long. Fruit globose, 3 cm in diameter.

Stomachic (seed)

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Used to cure pain over the chest and abdomen due to cold-evil, overeating, gastric disease, vomiting and diarrhea due to cold-wetness evil, phlegm-retention disease (seed).

Jing-Nuan Wu. An Illustrated Chinese Materia Medica. P: 64, Oxford University Press, Inc.2005.