Plant atlas Short
Fingerroot: The Peppery Thai Root in Pad Cha
Fingerroot · กระชาย · Boesenbergia rotunda
Fingerroot — กระชาย (kra-chai) — Boesenbergia rotunda.
It carries a compound called panduratin A. In cultured cells, that compound blocked SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID. Fingerroot itself is a cluster of pale, slender roots that tastes like ginger crossed with pepper, and the part you eat is the root. For Khanom Jeen Nam Ya, pounded fingerroot seasons a fish curry ladled over rice noodles with raw cucumber and long beans. In Pad Cha (a fiery seafood stir-fry), cooks toss julienned fingerroot over high heat with seafood, chili, and fresh green peppercorns, which you eat with jasmine rice. Those roots hang down in a finger-like bunch, which is how fingerroot got its English name. Follow Longevity Biome for one new Thai plant a day.
Khanom Jeen Nam Ya — ขนมจีนน้ำยา (kha-nom-jeen-nam-ya)
Pad Cha Talay — ผัดฉ่าทะเล (pad-cha-ta-lay)
Source: Kanjanasirirat P et al. (2020). Boesenbergia rotunda & Panduratin A as anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. Sci Rep 10:19963. DOI:10.1038/s41598-020-77003-3
Educational content, not medical advice! Consult your doctor before changing diet or medication.
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Research context
Fingerroot's panduratin compound blocked the COVID-19 virus in lab studies — Scientific Reports, 2020 (in-vitro)