E Zhu Tincture & Alcohol-Free Extract

E Zhu (Curcuma zedoaria), the zedoary or white turmeric, is a perennial of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae, native to India and Southeast Asia and long cultivated in southern China, where Sichuan, Zhejiang, and Guangxi grow it alongside the closely related Curcuma phaeocaulis and Curcuma kwangsiensis, which share the Chinese name. Leafy shoots about a meter tall carry broad, pleated leaves marked with a purple-brown stripe down the midrib, and in spring a short spike of pink-tipped green bracts appears before the leaves. The rhizomes are rounded and branching, grey-brown outside and pale yellow within, with a strong camphor-like smell and a bitter, pungent taste. We extract the dried root.