Zingiber zerumbet was introduced to Hawai`i by the voyaging Polynesians who colonized the archipelago.  Hawaiians used the sudsy liquid from this species' flowers as shampoo, the underground stem was made into a powder for making kapa cloth fragrant, and parts of the plant were combined with other plants for medicinal use.  Z. zerumbet occurs in disturbed mesic areas on Kaua`i, O`ahu, Moloka`i, Lana`i and Maui.