Alpinia galanga

Alpinia galanga

Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
(unranked):	Commelinids
Order:	Zingiberales
Family:	Zingiberaceae
Subfamily:	Alpinioideae
Tribe:	Alpinieae
Genus:	Alpinia
Species:	A. galanga
Binomial name
*Alpinia galanga* (L.) Willd.

Alpinia galanga, (also Languas galanga^[1]) a plant in the ginger family, is an herb used in cooking, especially in Indonesian cuisine and Thai cuisine. It is one of four plants known as galangal, and is differentiated from the others with the common name greater galangal (or simply Thai galangal). The galangals are also called blue ginger or Thai ginger.

A. galanga is called Laos in Indonesian and is the most common form of galangal used in cooking. It is also known as Langkwas and galanga root.

1 Nomenclature and taxonomy
2 Description
3 Culinary uses
4 Medicinal uses
5 See also
6 References
7 Further reading
8 External links

Nomenclature and taxonomy

In Manipuri, it is known as Kanghu.

Description

The plant grows from rhizomes in clumps of stiff stalks up to two meters in height with abundant long leaves which bears red fruit. It is native to South Asia and Indonesia. It is cultivated in Malaysia, Laos, and Thailand. A. galanga is the galangal used most often in cookery. The robust rhizome has a sharp, sweet taste and smells like a blend of black pepper and pine needles. The red fruit is used in traditional Chinese medicine and has a flavor similar to cardamom.

Known as Chittarattai in Tamil, this form of ginger is used with another root called Athi-Mathuram (Glycyrrhiza glabra) as folk cure to cold and sore throat.

Culinary uses

The rhizome is a common ingredient in Thai soups and curries, where is used fresh in chunks or thin slices, mashed and mixed into curry paste, or dried and powdered. Indonesian rendang is usually spiced with galangal.

Medicinal uses

The rhizome is an abortifacient. It has carminative, anti-tuberculosis and stimulant properties. Ground rhizome is also used in the treatment of skin infections like eczema, ringworm, etc. The rhizome has been shown to have weak antimalarial activity in mice.^[2]

Under the names Chewing John, Little John to Chew, and Court Case Root it is used in African-American folk medicine and hoodoo folk magic.

Alpinia galanga rhizome contains the flavonol galangin.^[3]

References

^ Duke, James A.; Bogenschutz-Godwin, Mary Jo; duCellier, Judi; Peggy-Ann K. Duke (2002). Handbook of Medicinal Herbs (2nd ed.). Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press. p. 350. ISBN 0849312841. http://books.google.com/books?id=8AJkBmPDRUUC. Retrieved 1 March 2011.
^ Al-Adhroey, Abdulelah H.; Nor, Zurainee M.; Al-Mekhlafi, Hesham M.; Mahmud, Rohela (2010). "Median Lethal Dose, Antimalarial Activity, Phytochemical Screening and Radical Scavenging of Methanolic Languas galanga Rhizome Extract". Molecules 15 (11): 8366–76. doi:10.3390/molecules15118366. PMID 21081857.
^ Kaur, A; Singh, R; Dey, CS; Sharma, SS; Bhutani, KK; Singh, IP (2010). "Antileishmanial phenylpropanoids from Alpinia galanga (Linn.) Willd". Indian journal of experimental biology 48 (3): 314–7. PMID 21046987.