Perennial herbaceous plant Rhizome includes little ovate tubers. Leaves: 2-3 with broad blade, spreading flat on the ground, appearing annually in rainy season, hairy beneath.
Zingiberaceae
Kaempferia galanga L.
Local names:
English name:
East Indies galingale.
Description:
Perennial herbaceous plant Rhizome includes little ovate tubers. Leaves: 2-3 with broad blade, spreading flat on the ground, appearing annually in rainy season, hairy beneath. Flowers white tinged with violet, sessile, arising from the axil. All parts of the plant, especially the rhizome, are strongly aromatic.
Flowering period:
May - July.
Distribution:
Grows wild in the mountains and is cultivated in some places for medicinal use.
Parts used:
The root-stocks, grubbed up in winter and spring, are well washed, then dried in the sun or in an oven.
Chemical composition:
The rhizomes contain an essential oil (2.4-3.9%), consisting of p-methoxy transcinnamate ethyl, p-methoxy transcinnamic acid, transcinnamic acid, p-methoxystyrene, p-coumaric acid, n-pentadecane, D3 carene, borneol and camphene.
Therapeutic uses:
The rhizome is recommended for dyspepsia and is very useful for the treatment of pectoral and abdominal pains, headache, toothache and cold. It is prescribed in decoction, powder or pill form for oral administration. The average doses range from 3 to 6g per day. An alcoholic maceration is employed externally in massage for the treatment of rheumatism.