Zingiber mioga

(Thunb.) Roscoe

Myoga ginger, Ginger bud

ZingiberaceaeLeavesRootsFlowersScore: 12/100

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(c) Yao Li, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Yao Li

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(c) ssnp208, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Buds, Flowers, Vegetable, Rhizome, Root, Leaves

The buds, flowers, rhizomes, roots, and leaves are edible. Young flower buds are blanched by covering with straw and used fresh in soups, tempura, and tofu dishes, or pickled. The buds and leaves are also used to flavor soups. It is commercially cultivated as a vegetable.

Where to Find It

It is a subtropical plant. It grows in mountain valleys and is sometimes cultivated. The top growth is frost tender. It can re-grow from the underground rootstock. In Yunnan.

Asia, Australia, China, Hawaii, India, Japan, Korea, Pacific, Taiwan, Tasmania, USA,

Countries: United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Armenia, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Brunei, Bhutan, China, Fiji, Micronesia, Georgia, Indonesia, Israel, India, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Japan, Kyrgyzstan, Cambodia, Kiribati, North Korea, South Korea, Kuwait, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Mongolia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Pakistan, Palau, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Solomon Islands, Singapore, Syria, Thailand, Tajikistan, Timor-Leste, Turkmenistan, Tonga, Turkey, Tuvalu, Taiwan, United States, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Vanuatu, Samoa, Yemen

How to Identify

A ginger family herb. It keeps growing from year to year and grows in woodland. The rhizomes are yellowish. There is often no leaf stalk. The leaf blade is sword shaped and 20-37 cm long by 4-6 cm wide. The tip is heart shaped. The flower arises from the rhizome. It is 5-7 cm long. There can be a stalk up to 17 cm long. The sheaths are scale like. The bracts are reddish green with purple veins. The fruit is a capsule which is oval and red inside. The seeds are black. The seed layer is white.

Nutrition Score: 12/100

Part	Moisture	kJ	kcal	Protein	Vit A	Vit C	Iron	Zinc
Flower bracts	94.2	71	17	1.2	—	—	0.6	—

How to Grow

Requires a well-drained, fertile soil and a position in semi-shade. The plant is aromatic.

Medicinal Uses

Myoga has shown promise for potentially anticarcinogenic properties.

Other Uses

The old leaves when twisted and kneaded are used for making saddles.

Other Information

It is a commercially cultivated vegetable.

Notes

There are about 100-150 Zingiber species. It is used in medicine.

Names & Synonyms

Chandramala, Japanese ginger, Mioga, Myohga, Proh hom, Rang he, Xiang he

Amomum mioga Thunb.Zingiber echuanense Y. K. YangZingiber mijooka SieboldZingiber mioga var. variegatum MakinoZingiber sjooka Siebold

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