Alpinia Galanga ( Java )
Family
Zingiberaceae (Ginger family)
Common name
Zingiberaceae (Ginger family)
Common name
(English) False Galangal, Galanga, Galanga Major, Galangal, Galangale, Greater Galanga, Greater Galangal, Languas, Laos Root, Siamese Ginger, Siamese-Ginger, Spice Ginger (Arab) Adkham, Galangal, Khulanjan, خولنجان (China) 南薑, 南姜,Da Gao Liang Jiang, Hong Dou KouCanton 藍薑, (Danish)Stor Galanga (Dutch) Galgant, Galigaan, Grote Galanga, Lengoewas (French) Galanga, Galanga De L´inde, Grand Galanga, Souchet Long, Souchet Odorant (Germany) Galgant, Großer Galgant, Großer Galgant, Siam-Ingwer, Siamesische Ingwerlilie (Italian) Galanga Maggiore (Japan) ガランガ, ナンキョウ, Garanga, Nankyo (Korean) 갈렌갈, Gal-Ren-Gal, Kallengal (Persian) Djus Rishe, Jouz Rishe, Jouz Rishe, Xuz Rishe,Djus Rishe, ğwz Rýšh, جوز ریش (Portugal) Gengibre Do Laos, Gengibre Tailandés, Gengibre Tailandés, Junça Ordinária (Russian) Al´piniia Galanga, Галангал, Галгант, Калган, Galanga, Galangal, Galgant, Kalgan
USES :
Galangal. It is a rhizome with culinary and medicinal uses, best known in the west for its appearance in Thai cuisine and other Southeast Asian cuisine. Though it resembles (and is related to) ginger in appearance, it tastes little like ginger. In its raw form, galangal has a soapy, earthy aroma and a pine-like flavor with a faint hint of citrus. It is available as a powder from vendors of Asian spices and is also available whole, cut or powdered from vendors of herbs. A mixture of galangal and lime juice is used as a tonic in parts of Southeast Asia. It is said to have the effect of an aphrodisiac, and act as a stimulant. Galangal is also known as alpinia, galanggal, and somewhat confusingly galingale, which is also the name for several plants of the unrelated Cyperus genus of sedges (also with aromatic rhizomes)
The word galangal, or its variant galanga is used as a common name for all members of the genus Alpinia, and in common usage can refer to four plants, all in the Zingiberaceae (ginger family)
The Greater galanga has medicinal applications; the rhizome is used against rheumatism, bronchial catarh, bad breath, and ulcers whooping colds in children, throat infections, to control incontinence, fever and dyspepsia. Also used as a digestive stimulant and useful in flatulence.
It is an excellent candidate for the development of a remedy for opportunistic fungal infections in AIDS patients. The other application is an inhibitors as Xanthinine oxidase (XO) were isolated from the rhizomes of Alpinia galanga, and were identified as trans-p-coumaryl diacetate, trans doniferyl diacetate, (1's)-1'-acetoxychavicol acetate, (1'S)-1'-acetoxyeugenol acetate and
-hydroxybenzaldehyde.
