Although the crepe ginger is better known as an ornamental plant, it has food and medicinal uses as well.
In Malaysia, the crepe ginger leaves are ground into a paste and applied to the forehead to bring down a high fever.
A concoction made from boiling parts of the plant is used to bathe a patient with fever.
In India, the crepe ginger rhizome has been used to treat colds, rheumatism and pneumonia and it is also eaten during times of famine as a source of carbohydrates.
The young shoots are eaten like a vegetable in Indonesia.
The Kama Sutra documents the use of the crepe ginger as a cosmetic used on the eyelashes to increase sexual attractiveness.
In Malaysia, the Malays believe that the crepe ginger possesses magical powers which will drive away evil spirits that cause sickness.

Above information from:
Green Culture Singapore Feature Article for June 2007. Published online 8 July 2007. Text by Wilson Wong. Edited by Lynnette Terh

It grows wild in Panama. This photograph was taken beside the road in the Soberanía National Park.