Alpinia galanga

Alpinia galanga, a plant in the ginger family, bears a rhizome used largely as an herb in Unani medicine and as a spice in Southeast Asian cookery. It is one of four plants known as "galangal". Its common names include greater galangal, lengkuas, and blue ginger.

Description

A herb which grows year after year. It grows to 1.6 m high and spreads to 1 m across. The rootstock creeps under the ground. This is round like a cylinder and branches. This thick rhizome can be 10-12 cm long by 3 cm wide. It grows as a dense clump. The outside of the root is reddish brown and inside is white. The stems lie along the ground. The leaves are long and narrow and sword shaped. The leaf blade is 25-35 cm long by 6-10 cm wide. They taper to the tip. They have a sweet scent. The flower spike is at the end of the shoot. It is hairy and 15-30 cm long. The flower bracts are oval and 2-8 mm long. The flowers are white. They occur in clusters at the ends of stalks. Each bracts surrounds 4-5 flowers. The flowers are 1.5 cm long and white with purple lines. The fruit is a round capsule. It is 1 cm across. It is orange-red.

Edible Uses

The rhizome is a common ingredient in Thai curries and soups such as tom kha kai, where it is used fresh in chunks or cut into thin slices, mashed and mixed into curry paste. It is also traditionally fermented with honey to produce the wine known as byais among the Mansaka people of the Philippines.

Traditional Uses

The root is used for flavouring curries. They are often sliced then removed before serving the dish. They can be pounded to a paste then added to dishes. They are also pickled. The young shoots and leaves are also eaten. Flower buds and flowers can also be cooked and eaten. They are also pickled. The red fruit are edible.

Medicinal Uses

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. In Unani medicine 'A.Galanga' is called as 'Khulanjan' and its actions and uses have been mentioned in many unani classical literatures like Al qanun fittib The Canon of Medicine, maghzanul mufradath etc. It is considered as Muqawwi qalb (cardiac tonic), mufarreh, munaffise balgam, muqawwi meda, muqawwi bah etc. Its used in Asthma, cough, sore throat and other illnesses. Famous unani drug preparations with Khulanjan as an ingredient include Habb e Jadwar, Jawarish Jalinus, Jawarish Ood shirin etc. Ayurveda considers A. galanga (Sanskrit:-rasna) as a Vata Shamana drug. Known as பேரரத்தை (perarathai) in Tamil, this form of ginger is used with licorice root, called in Tamil athi-mathuram (Glycyrrhiza glabra) as folk medicine for colds and sore throats.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It does best in rich moist soils. It prefers a protected shady position. It is drought and frost tender. The soil needs to be well-drained. It can be grown in sheltered sites in cooler climates but needs a heated glasshouse in cold places. In China it grows in grasslands between 100-1300 m altitude in S China. It suits hardiness zones 9-12. In XTBG Yunnan.

Where It Grows

Asia, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, East Timor, Fiji, Guianas, Hawaii, India*, Indochina, Indonesia*, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Northeastern India, Pacific, Philippines, SE Asia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Taiwan, Thailand, Timor-Leste, USA, Vietnam,

Cultivation

It is grown by dividing the rootstock. A piece about 5-10 cm long with at least 2 undamaged buds is used. Rhizomes are planted just below the surface and 60 cm apart.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe. Sow in containers and keep at around 20c. Division of the rootstock as new growth begins. Very easy. Shoots from pieces of galanga rhizome emerge about 1 week after planting; within 4 weeks 2 - 3 leaves have developed.

Other Uses

The plant is the source of an essential oil, called Essence d'Amali.

Production

Young rhizomes have more flavour than older ones. Plants are often harvested 3 months after planting.

Other Information

It is a cultivated food plant. They are sold in markets. It is a commercially cultivated vegetable. The fruit are available in Chinese stores in Australia.

Notes

There are about 200-230 Alpinia species. They are mostly tropical and subtropical. It is antimutagenic. It possibly has anti-cancer properties.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Ampar, Ampar haldi, Araththa, Dumbarasme, Gao liang kiang, Gieng, Ha, Hong dou kou, Java galangal, Jiang miao, Kanghoo, Kanghu, Kha, Kha baan, Khoa, Kol-inji, Kulanjan, Kulanjain, Kulinjan, Kunsa-gamon, Ladja, Lam kieu, Langkuas galangal, Laos, Lengkuas, Mi pi duo pu, Pa-de-gaw-gyi, Pedda-dumparashtram, Pera-rattai, Peraratta, Phrikan-gnek, Ramrhou, Rieng, Romdeng, Rumdaeng prey, Siamese ginger, Tara, Tharai

References (77)

• Ambasta S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 30
• Anderson, E. F., 1993, Plants and people of the Golden Triangle. Dioscorides Press. p 202
• Arora, R. K., 2014, Diversity in Underutilized Plant Species - An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Bioversity International. p 99
• Benvenuti, S. & Mazzoncini, M., 2021, The Biodiversity of Edible Flowers: Discovering New Tastes and New Health Benefits. Frontiers in Plant Science Article 569499.
• Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 21 (Also as Alpinia pyramidata)

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