Alpinia officinarum
The Real Galangal ( Alpinia officinarum ), also known as Galangal, Small galangal, galangal or Siamese galangal, is a plant which belongs to the ginger family ( Zingiberaceae ). It is used as a spice and medicinal plant.
Dissemination
It is native to Hainan (China), where it is grown, as well as in Thailand and throughout Southeast Asia.
Description
The Real Galangal is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches the plant height of 1.50 meters. Are formed as outlasting slender - cylindrical, horizontal Sprouting Rhizomes. The leaves are sessile ganzrandigen; they are 20 to 30 cm long and 1 to 2.5 cm wide.
Are formed racemose inflorescences with small bracts. The hermaphrodite flowers are white with reddish lines. The fused sepals are about 1.5 cm long. The fused into a tube petals are 8-10 cm long. The ovary is hairy. It is a round, red fruit capsule formed with about 1 cm in diameter. It flowers from April to September and fruiting from May to November.
Use
The up to one meter long rhizome is used as an edible spice. It smells spicy and bitter taste aromatic and slightly burning, somewhat reminiscent of ginger. Galangal is a part of Spice mixtures (eg curry or sausage spice) and is also valued in the manufacture of herbal liqueurs.
Herbal medicine uses the existing in the rhizome essential oil with gingerols, galangol, flavonoids and tannins. In addition to stimulating digestion, the ingredients antispasmodic ( carminative ), as well as anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory ( anti-inflammatory ) effect. This provides a use in loss of appetite, digestive problems such as flatulence and bloating as well as slight cramping discomfort in the gastrointestinal area.
In addition to fungicidal effects tumor-inhibiting effects of galangal could be detected and it is capable in combination with cytostatic agents to suppress cytotoxic properties of chemotherapy.
Side effects and contraindications are not known.
Swell
- Delin Wu & Kai Larsen: Zingiberaceae in Flora of China: Alpinia officinarum - Online.