Boesenbergia rotunda (L.) Mansf.

Fingerroot (Boesenbergia rotunda) is a herb 30-80 cm tall of the Zingiberaceae family, distributed from Yunnan in southern China to India and Sri Lanka. Its rhizome is commonly used as a cooking seasoning, while its young shoots are steamed as a vegetable believed to refresh and warm the body. In South Korea, fingerroot is even a raw material for cosmetics, besides being traditionally used to promote breast milk production and relieve cough.

This plant is commonly found in tropical lowlands with an average temperature of 18-30 °C, dense forest up to an elevation of 1,000 m above sea level, and rainfall of 1,200-3,000 mm/year. Grows well in areas with full sun, moist soil, pH 6-7, relatively fertile soil with good aeration and water circulation.

• Roots differentiate into a rhizome with maturity, elongated downward and round in shape.
• Rhizome yellowish-brown, smooth surface, long, slender, and finger-like.
• Stem is actually an underground stem in the form of a rhizome, yellowish-brown, aromatic, thickened.
• Leaves have 2-7 blades, lower leaves form sheaths.
• Flowers form an unbounded spike arrangement, in the leaf axils, protected by 2 spathes, stalk 41 cm long. It has 3 petals, colored pink or yellowish-white, tube-shaped, with the upper crown lobed, lanceolate.

Propagated by cutting the rhizome into several sections (each section with at least 2 buds), with a planting spacing of 30 cm.

Resin, saponins, the flavonoid pinostrobin, alpinetin, essential oil (camphor, cineole, methyl cinnamate, hydromyrcene).

Acts as an expectorant or addresses cough; relieves flatulence; stimulates appetite; treats diarrhea; heals canker sores, vaginal discharge; stimulates breast milk production. 

• Prepare fingerroot rhizome and separate it from the roots. Wash thoroughly and drain. Slice the rhizome thinly and arrange on a woven bamboo tray.
• Sun-dry the slices until dry. Turn every 2-3 hours to speed up the drying process. Dry for about 6 days until completely dry. Blend the material until fine.
• Store the dried material in a tightly closed, light-proof container.

Koncih (Sumatra), Tamu kunci (Minangkabau), Konce (Madura), Kunci (Central Java), Dumu kunci (Bima), Tamu konci (Makasar), Tumu kunci (Ambon).