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| Kaempferia galanga | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Drawing from an 1805 issue ofThe Botanical Magazine | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Zingiberaceae |
| Genus: | Kaempferia |
| Species: | K. galanga |
| Binomial name | |
| Kaempferia galanga | |
Kaempferia galanga, commonly known askencur,aromatic ginger,sand ginger,cutcherry, is amonocotyledonous plant in theginger family, and one of four plants calledgalangal. It is found primarily in open areas inIndonesia, southernChina,Taiwan,Cambodia, andIndia, but is also widely cultivated throughoutSoutheast Asia.
Kaempferia galanga is used as a spice in cooking in Indonesia, where it is calledkencur ('cekur' in Malaysia), and especially inJavanese andBalinese cuisines.Beras kencur, which combines driedK. galanga powder withrice flour, is a particularly popularjamu herbal drink. Its leaves are also used in the Malay rice dish,nasi ulam.
Unlike the similarBoesenbergia rotunda (Thai กระชายkrachai),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 asproh horm (เปราะหอม) orwaan horm (ว่านหอม), and in Khmer asprâh (ប្រោះ) orprâh krâ-oup (ប្រោះក្រអូប). It is also used in Chinese cooking andChinese medicine, and is sold in Chinese groceries under the namesha jiang (Chinese:沙姜;pinyin:shajiang),[1] while the plant itself is referred to asshan nai (Chinese:山柰;pinyin:shannai).[2]Kaempferia galanga has a peppery camphorous taste.[1]
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.[citation needed] It is also sometimes calledlesser galangal, which properly refers toAlpinia officinarum.
The rhizomes of aromatic ginger have been reported to containcineol,borneol, 3-carene,camphene,kaempferol,kaempferide,cinnamaldehyde,p-methoxycinnamic acid,ethyl cinnamate, andethyl p-methoxycinnamate.[citation needed] A study made a list of chemicals classified based on their different chemical groups[10]
Extracts of the plant kill larvae of several species of mosquito including some that are disease vectors.[11][12] 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.[13]
The rhizomes of the plant, which contain essential oils, have been used intraditional Chinese medicine as adecoction or powder. Its alcoholic maceration has also been applied asliniment for rheumatism.[13] The extract causescentral nervous system depression, a decrease in motor activity, and a decrease in respiratory rate.[14]
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.[15]
A purified extract ofK. galanga andpolyester-8 stabilize the UV-absorptive properties of sunscreen combinations containingavobenzone.[16]
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Media related toKaempferia galanga at Wikimedia Commons