A cross between it and a closely related species from Japan, also called "skunk cabbage" but less malodorous, is grown as an ornamental plant on the margins of British aquatic gardens.

[7] Unlike the genus Symplocarpus (which includes S. foetidus, the eastern skunk cabbage), the flowers of Lysichiton species do not produce heat,[8] although this is widely and incorrectly said to be the case.

[10][11] The plant was introduced into cultivation in the United Kingdom in 1901 and has escaped to become naturalized in marshy areas in Britain and Ireland, for example in Hampshire and Surrey, including Wisley Gardens, and in the north and west of the UK.

[17] The plant was used by indigenous people as medicine for burns and injuries, and in times of famine as an emergency food source, when the leaves were heated and eaten.

[17] Although the plant was not part of human diet under normal conditions, its large, waxy leaves were important to food preparation and storage.

[7] The plant contains calcium oxalate crystals, which result in a prickling sensation on the tongue and throat[17] and can cause intestinal irritation; if consumed in large quantities it can even cause death.