Can flowering gingers like White Butterfly (hedychium) be eaten?
The rhizomes look and smell exactly like the ginger in grocery stores.
Sue Saddest Farewell TGO GL
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asked Jul 11, 2017 at 16:26
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1 Answer
If it is Hedychium coronarium it seems that it is not toxic so it shouldn't be immediately deadly. While young leaves and flowers are eaten as famine food the rhizomes are only used as folk medicine which I interpret to mean that they taste of socks and have the texture of rotten wood.
I think it mainly boils down to whether you are using toxic pesticides and/or fertilizers to grow it.
I still would be wary of eating much of a species that hasn't been extensively consumed by humans in the last century.