Alpinia galanga
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Greater Galnanga
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Source: Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd. (Syn. Amomum galanga (Linn.) Lour.) (Family Zingiberaceae).
Common/vernacular names: Kulinjan, Greater Galangal.
An herb, 1.8–2.4 m in height, with tuberous aromatic rootstocks. Leaves oblong–lanceolate, acute, glabrous, 30–60 cm long, with rounded ligule. Flowers greenish white, streaked with red, in dense-flowered, 30 cm long panicles; capsules orange or red, globose. The dried rhizome provides the drug Greater Galangal. The rhizome is 2.5–10.0 cm thick and is reddish brown externally and light orange-brown inside. It has a tough and fibrous fracture, and a spicy pungent taste.
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Alpinia galanga
| Alpinia galanga | |
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| 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. |
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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 Lengkuas and galanga root. In Manipuri, it is known as Kanghu.
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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 curries and soups, where is used fresh in chunks or cut into thin slices, mashed and mixed into curry paste. Indonesian rendang is usually spiced with galangal.[citation needed]
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.[citation needed]
Alpinia galanga rhizome contains the flavonol galangin.[3]
See also
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 0-8493-1284-1. 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.
Further reading
- Van Wyk, Ben-Erik (2005). Food Plants of the World. Portland, Oregon: Timber Press, Inc. ISBN 0-88192-743-0
- Greater galangal
- Scheffer, J.J.C. & Jansen, P.C.M., 1999. Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd.[Internet] Record from Proseabase. de Guzman, C.C. and Siemonsma, J.S. (Editors). PROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) Foundation, Bogor, Indonesia. [1]
External links
- Alpinia galanga
- Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd. Medicinal Plant Images Database (School of Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong Baptist University) (traditional Chinese)(English)
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Leung's Encyclopedia of Natural Ingredients
Leung's Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics Copyright © 2010 by Wiley-Blackwell. Wiley and the Wiley logo are registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries. Used here by license. Read more
