Lempuyang plants originated from tropical Asia region and then spread to other tropical areas. Lempuyang has 3 types, namely lempuyang wangi (Zingiber aromaticum), lempuyang pahit or lempuyang emprit (Zingiber amaricans), and lempuyang gajah (Zingiber zerumbet).
Lempuyang an old shrub plants yearly. three types of lempuyang have different heights. lempuyang pahit could have reached 2 meters high, while lempuyang wangi and lempuyang gajah about its height can be up to 1.5 meters. the trunk grows straight up and is false stem formed by leaf sheath strands close to each other. elongated-shaped leaves with pointed tip and the base shrinking.
Flowers emerge from stems, pale yellow and has a hump at the top. Rhizome lempuyang pahit is small, lempuyang wangi little bigger, and lempuyang gajah is biggest. If the roots are cut will appear flesh-colored fruits pale yellow. Lempuyang wangi flavor is sharpand fragrant odor. Rhizome lempuyang pahit taste too sharp and bitter on the tongue and does not have a strong odor. Lempuyang gajah fragrant smell, taste bitter but less spicy than lempuyang wangi.
Lempuyang is one kind of medicinal plant that has many benefits. Rhizome lempuyang very useful for treating some diseases, for example: whooping cough, shrimp or sea food allergy, rheumatoid arthritis, drug-added, increase appetite, relieve stomach pain, and asthma.