| Alpinia galanga | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Zingiberaceae |
| Genus: | Alpinia |
| Species: | A. galanga |
| Binomial name | |
| Alpinia galanga | |
Alpinia galanga,[1] a plant in theginger family, bears arhizome used largely as anherb inUnani medicine and as aspice inSoutheast Asian cookery. It is one of four plants known as "galangal". Its common names includegreater galangal,lengkuas, andblue ginger.
The name "galangal" is probably derived fromPersianqulanjan orArabickhalanjan, which in turn may be an adaptation of Chinesegao liang jiang. Its names in North India are derived from the same root, includingkulanja inSanskrit,kulanjan inHindi, andkholinjan inUrdu.[2]
The name "lengkuas", on the other hand, is derived fromMalaylengkuas, which is derived from Proto-Western Malayo-Polynesian*laŋkuas, with cognates includingIlokanolangkuás;Tagalog,Bikol,Kapampangan,Visayan, andManobolangkáuas orlangkáwas;Aklanoneangkawás;Kadazan Dusunhongkuas;Ida'anlengkuas;Ngaju Dayaklangkuas; andIbanengkuas. Some of the names have become generalized and are also applied to other species ofAlpinia as well as forCurcuma zedoaria.[3]
Alpinia galanga is also calledlaos inJavanese andlaja inSundanese. Other names includeromdeng (រំដេង) inCambodia;pa de kaw (ပတဲကော) inMyanmar;kha (ข่า) inThailand;nankyō (ナンキョウ, 南姜) inJapan; andhóng dòu kòu (紅豆寇) inMandarin Chinese.[4] InTelugu it is called "పెద్ద దుంపరాష్టము" or "పెద్ద దుంపరాష్ట్రము". InTamil it is known as a "பேரரத்தை or பெரியரத்தை" ("Pae-reeya-ra-thai"), widely used inSiddha Medicine and in culinaries. In Sri Lanka it is known asAraththa (අරත්ත).[5]
Lengkuas is native to South and Southeast Asia. Its original center of cultivation during thespice trade wasJava, and today it is still cultivated extensively in Island Southeast Asia, most notably in theGreater Sunda Islands and thePhilippines. Its cultivation has also spread intoMainland Southeast Asia, most notablyThailand.[6][7] Lengkuas is also the source of the leaves used to makenanel among theKavalan people ofTaiwan, a rolled leaf instrument used as a traditional children's toy common amongAustronesian cultures.[8]
The plant grows fromrhizomes in clumps of stiff stalks up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) in height with abundant long leaves that bear red fruit.[9] It is an evergreen perennial.[9] This plant's rhizome is the "galangal" used most often in cookery. It is valued for its use in food andtraditional medicine. The rhizome has a pungent smell and strong taste reminiscent of citrus,black pepper andpine needles. Red and white cultivars are often used differently, with red cultivars being primarily medicinal, and white cultivars primarily as aspice.[6][7] The red fruit is used intraditional Chinese medicine and has a flavor similar tocardamom.
The rhizome is a common ingredient inThai curries and soups such astom kha kai, where it is used fresh in chunks or cut into thin slices, mashed and mixed intocurry paste.
It is also traditionally fermented with honey to produce the wine known asbyais among theMansaka people of thePhilippines.[10]
_Willd.jpg)
Under the names 'chewing John', 'little John to chew', and 'court case root', it is used inAfrican Americanfolk medicine andhoodoo folk magic.[citation needed] InUnani medicine 'A.Galanga' is called as 'Khulanjan' and its actions and uses have been mentioned in many unani classical literatures like Al qanun fittibThe Canon of Medicine, maghzanul mufradath etc. It is considered as Muqawwi qalb (cardiac tonic), mufarreh, munaffise balgam, muqawwi meda, muqawwi bah etc. Its used inAsthma, 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 considersA. galanga (Sanskrit:-rasna) as a Vata Shamana drug. Known asபேரரத்தை (perarathai) in Tamil, this form of ginger is used with licorice root, called in Tamilathi-mathuram (Glycyrrhiza glabra) as folk medicine for colds and sore throats.[citation needed]
Alpinia galanga rhizome contains theflavonolgalangin.[11]
The rhizome contains an oil known asgalangol, which uponfractional distillation producescineol (which has medicinal properties),pinene, andeugenol, among others.[12]
Authority control databases: National |
|---|
