''Kaempferia galanga'', commonly known as kencur, aromatic ginger, sand ginger, cutcherry, is a

monocotyledon Monocotyledons (), commonly referred to as monocots, ( Lilianae '' sensu'' Chase & Reveal) are flowering plants whose seeds contain only one embryonic leaf, or cotyledon. A monocot taxon has been in use for several decades, but with various ranks ...

ous plant in the ginger family, and one of four plants called

galangal Galangal () is a rhizome of plants in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, with culinary and medicinal uses originating in Indonesia. It is one of four species in the genus ''Alpinia'', and is known for its pungent, aromatic flavor. Greater gal ...

. It is found primarily in open areas in

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

, southern

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...

, and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, but is also widely cultivated throughout

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

Culinary and medical use

''Kaempferia galanga'' is used as a spice in cooking in Indonesia, where it is called ''kencur'' ('cekur' in Malaysia), and especially in Javanese and

Balinese cuisine Balinese cuisine is a cuisine tradition of Balinese people from the volcanic island of Bali. Using a variety of spices, blended with the fresh vegetables, meat and fish. Part of Indonesian cuisine, it demonstrates indigenous traditions, as well a ...

s. ''Beras kencur'', which combines dried ''K. galanga'' powder with

rice flour Rice flour (also rice powder) is a form of flour made from finely milled rice. It is distinct from rice starch, which is usually produced by steeping rice in lye. Rice flour is a common substitute for wheat flour. It is also used as a thickening ...

, is a particularly popular ''

jamu Jamu ( Javanese: ) is a traditional medicine from Indonesia. It is predominantly a herbal medicine made from natural materials, such as roots, bark, flowers, seeds, leaves and fruits. Materials acquired from animals, such as honey, royal jell ...

'' herbal drink. Its leaves are also used in the Malay rice dish, ''

nasi ulam ''Nasi ulam'' is a traditional Indonesian and Malaysian dish of steamed rice (''nasi'') served with various herbs and vegetables ('' Ulam (salad)''). The herbs used are mostly the leaves of ''pegagan'' ('' Centella asiatica''), though they ...

''. Unlike the similar ''

Boesenbergia rotunda ''Boesenbergia rotunda'' (, , , ), commonly known as Chinese keys, fingerroot, lesser galangal or Chinese ginger, is a medicinal and culinary herb from China and Southeast Asia. In English, the root has traditionally been called fingerroot, beca ...

'' (Thai กระชาย ''krachai''), ''K. galanga'' is not commonly used in Thai cuisine, but can be bought as a dried rhizome or in powder form at herbal medicine stalls. It is known in Thai as ''proh horm'' (เปราะหอม) or ''waan horm'' (ว่านหอม), and in Khmer as ''prâh'' (ប្រោះ) or ''prâh krâ-oup'' (ប្រោះក្រអូប). It is also used in Chinese cooking and

Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence of effectiveness or ...

, and is sold in Chinese groceries under the name ''sha jiang'' (), while the plant itself is referred to as ''shan nai'' (). ''Kaempferia galanga'' has a peppery camphorous taste.

Similar species

''K. galanga'' is differentiated from other galangals by the absence of stem and dark brown, rounded rhizomes, while the other varieties all have stems and pale rosebrown rhizomes. It is also sometimes called lesser galangal, which properly refers to ''Alpinia officinarum''. * ''

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, le ...

'' * ''

Alpinia zerumbet ''Alpinia zerumbet'', commonly known as shell ginger among other names, is a perennial species of ginger native to East Asia. The plants can grow up to tall and bear colorful funnel-shaped flowers. They are grown as ornamentals and their leave ...

'' * ''

Curcuma longa Turmeric (), or ''Curcuma longa'' (), is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between and high A ...

'' * ''

Etlingera elatior ''Etlingera elatior'' (also known as torch ginger, among other names) is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the family Zingiberaceae; it is native to Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and New Guinea. The showy pink flowers are used in decor ...

'' * '' Etlingera maingayi'' * '' Etlingera fulgens'' * '' Kaempferia angustifolia'' * '' Kaempferia rotunda'' * '' Zingiber cassumunar'' * ''

Zingiber officinale Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

Chemical constituents

The rhizomes of aromatic ginger have been reported to contain cineol,

borneol Borneol is a bicyclic organic compound and a terpene derivative. The hydroxyl group in this compound is placed in an '' endo'' position. The exo diastereomer is called isoborneol. Being chiral, borneol exists as enantiomers, both of which are fou ...

, 3-carene,

camphene Camphene is a bicyclic organic compound. It is one of the most pervasive monoterpenes. As with other terpenes, it is insoluble in water, flammable, colorless, and has a pungent smell. It is a minor constituent of many essential oils such as tu ...

kaempferol Kaempferol (3,4′,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a natural flavonol, a type of flavonoid, found in a variety of plants and plant-derived foods including kale, beans, tea, spinach, and broccoli. It is also found in propolis extracts. Kaempferol i ...

kaempferide Kaempferide is an ''O''-methylated flavonol, a type of chemical compound. It can be found in ''Kaempferia galanga'' (aromatic ginger). It has been noted to inhibit pancreatic cancer growth by blockading an EGFR-related pathway. Metabolism Th ...

cinnamaldehyde Cinnamaldehyde is an organic compound with the formula or . Occurring naturally as predominantly the ''trans'' (''E'') isomer, it gives cinnamon its flavor and odor. It is a phenylpropanoid that is naturally synthesized by the shikimate pathway ...

, p-methoxycinnamic acid, ethyl cinnamate, and ethyl p-methoxycinnamate. A study made a list of chemicals classified based on their different chemical groups *

Terpenoids The terpenoids, also known as isoprenoids, are a class of naturally occurring organic chemicals derived from the 5-carbon compound isoprene and its derivatives called terpenes, diterpenes, etc. While sometimes used interchangeably with "terpenes" ...

(26) * Phenolics (15) * Polysaccharides (15) *

Flavonoids Flavonoids (or bioflavonoids; from the Latin word ''flavus'', meaning yellow, their color in nature) are a class of polyphenolic secondary metabolites found in plants, and thus commonly consumed in the diets of humans. Chemically, flavonoids ...

(3) * FattyAcids and Esters (11) * DiarylHeptanoids (6) * Cyclic Dipeptides (6)

Insecticidal research

Extracts of the plant kill larvae of several species of mosquito including some that are disease vectors. As a result of these findings, research is underway to evaluate the plant extract's use as an insect repellent, with preliminary findings suggesting it is not an irritant to the skin of rats.

Extracts and essential oils

The rhizomes of the plant, which contain essential oils, have been used in

traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...

as a

decoction Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal medicine systems. D ...

or powder. Its alcoholic maceration has also been applied as

liniment Liniment (from , meaning "to smear, Anointing, anoint"), also called embrocation and heat rub, is a medicated topical preparation for application to the skin. Some liniments have a viscosity similar to that of water; others are lotion or balm; s ...

for rheumatism. The extract causes

central nervous system The central nervous system (CNS) is the part of the nervous system consisting primarily of the brain, spinal cord and retina. The CNS is so named because the brain integrates the received information and coordinates and influences the activity o ...

depression, a decrease in motor activity, and a decrease in respiratory rate. The decoctions and the sap of the leaves may have hallucinogenic properties, which may be due to unidentified chemical components of the plant’s essential oil fraction. A purified extract of ''K. galanga'' and polyester-8 stabilize the UV-absorptive properties of sunscreen combinations containing

avobenzone Avobenzone (trade names Parsol 1789, Milestab 1789, Eusolex 9020, Escalol 517, Neo Heliopan 357 and others, International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients, INCI Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane) is an organic molecule and an oil-soluble ingredie ...

.Gonzalez A., Gaenzler F. "Photostability of sunscreen combinations containing avobenzone exposed to natural and artificial ultraviolet light."

Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology The ''Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology'', sometimes abbreviated ''JAAD'', is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering dermatology. It was established in 1979 and is published by Elsevier on behalf of the American Academy of De ...

2011 64:2 SUPPL. 1 (AB30)

Aroma attributes

Borneol Borneol is a bicyclic organic compound and a terpene derivative. The hydroxyl group in this compound is placed in an '' endo'' position. The exo diastereomer is called isoborneol. Being chiral, borneol exists as enantiomers, both of which are fou ...

1,8-Cineole Eucalyptol (also called cineole) is a monoterpenoid colorless liquid, and a bicyclic ether. It has a fresh camphor-like odor and a spicy, cooling taste. It is insoluble in water, but miscible with organic solvents. Eucalyptol makes up about 70� ...

* Ethyl cinnamate^, * Ethyl p-methoxycinnamate * Gamma-car-3-ene *

Pentadecane Pentadecane is an alkane hydrocarbon with the chemical formula C15H32. It can be monoterminally oxidized Redox ( , , reduction–oxidation or oxidation–reduction) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of the react ...

References

External links

*
Use in Andalusian Cooking

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1113398 galanga Flora of Asia Medicinal plants of Asia Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus

Culinary and medical use

Similar species

Chemical constituents

Insecticidal research

Extracts and essential oils

Aroma attributes

See also

References

External links