The “Alpinia zerumbet” plant, also known as shell ginger or shell flower, is said to have anti-ageing virtues not only when eaten but also when applied to the skin.
Shell ginger is a plant with large green leaves, white flowers and red berries. It can be found in Okinawa, Japan, famed for its inhabitants’ long life expectancy and large number of centenarians.
This is due to a healthy diet, genetic factors, as well as the consumption of “getto”, as the Japanese call shell ginger.
There has been such interest in the plant that Shinkichi Tawada, a professor of agronomy at the University of the Ryukyus in Nishihara, Okinawa, has been studying it for no less than 20 years.
Alongside other researchers, he gave shell ginger to one group of demotodes, a species of worm whose life expectancy is estimated to be about a month, while a second group consumed none.
The scientists observed a 22.6% increase in the life span of the first group compared with the second.
Getto-based cosmetics
In Japan, shell ginger is consumed in the form of herbal tea, but it is also found in some traditional dishes, as well as in waters and beauty oils that, according to the women of the archipelago, help combat wrinkles.
It is therefore not surprising to learn that brands are now offering getto-based cosmetics to fight against the signs of ageing.
From the leaves to the roots, every part of the plant can be used. It is known to be full of resveratrol, which is also found in grapes, and is full of antioxidants that help slow down skin ageing.
Cosmetics formulated with shell ginger are largely promoted as rejuvenating treatments. The Bijin brand has made getto one of its signature ingredients, which can be found in several products such as its Rejuvenating Getto Body Balm, and Youthful Face Concentrate.
The plant is also used by Cinq Mondes, which uses getto-based products for some of its spa treatments including the “Ko Bi Do” ritual, a kind of natural ancestral facelift that also comes straight from Japan.
Brands such as Kanebo and Shiseido have also been known to use the plant in certain formulations.