A plant, source of youth
Thus, Shinkichi Tawada, professor of agronomy at Nishihara Ryukyu University in Nishihara, Okinawa, has "always been interested in the substances that, in the traditional diet, are at the origin of it". After nearly 20 years of research, he may finally have unlocked the secret. According to his latest work with colleagues, the secret lies in an amber liquid that gives off sweet, tropical scents: essential oil from the getto flower ([guetto] or alpinia zerumbet), a member of the ginger family with large green leaves, small red berries and white flowers. This plant belongs to the ginger family and has large green leaves, small red berries and white flowers. It is rich in resveratrol, an antioxidant found in grapes (and therefore in wine) and whose effects on longevity are well known. But few people are interested in the clumps of wild getto that grow on the roadside. To find out more, Shinkichi Tawada and his colleagues therefore conducted tests on demotods (alpinia zerumbet), a variety of worms that only live for a month. After daily exposure to the getto, the worms lived 22.6% longer than the others. "Traditionally, Okinawans have always believed that eating muchi [a winter dish made of rice paste surrounded by a getto leaf] has been considered a way to protect against colds and to gain strength and vigour," says Tawada. <A plant called getto or alipinia zerumbet may be one of Okinawa's secrets to longevity.