Kaempferia rotunda is a spicy plant and is having many medicinal uses in Ayurvedic

Ayurveda

Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...

 and allopathic medicinal

Allopathic medicine

Allopathic medicine refers to the practice of conventional medicine that uses pharmacologically active agents or physical interventions to treat or suppress symptoms or pathophysiologic processes of diseases or conditions. It was coined by Samuel Hahnemann , a homeopath, in 1810...

 systems this plant is also called by these names:

• Bhumi champa
• Indian crocus
• Peacock ginger
• Round-rooted galangale

Kaempferia rotunda is found in various parts of India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 and adjoining regions but seldom in wild. The plant is groomed in small herbal nurseries for applications in medicine preparation. As its Sanskrit name 'bhoomi champa' (bloom from within earth) implies, the indigo coloured flower shoots right from within the soil. In fact, the flower emerges much in advance than the whitish leafy shoot. Both the flower and leaf are never seen at the same time.

The flower contains the toxin benzyl benzoate

Benzyl benzoate

Benzyl benzoate is the ester of benzyl alcohol and benzoic acid, with the formula C6H5CH2O2CC6H5. This easily prepared compound has a variety of uses.-Synthesis:This colorless liquid is formally the condensation product of benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol...

 that is used to make ointments to treat scabies

Scabies

Scabies , known colloquially as the seven-year itch, is a contagious skin infection that occurs among humans and other animals. It is caused by a tiny and usually not directly visible parasite, the mite Sarcoptes scabiei, which burrows under the host's skin, causing intense allergic itching...

. This plant is boiled and its oil is used to treat itch. It has potential antioxidant

Antioxidant

An antioxidant is a molecule capable of inhibiting the oxidation of other molecules. Oxidation is a chemical reaction that transfers electrons or hydrogen from a substance to an oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can produce free radicals. In turn, these radicals can start chain reactions. When...

effects.