Galangal Root, Lesser

Western Bulk Herbs – Galangal Root

Galangal root stimulates the digestion system. It relieves gas, bloating, constipation, and a slow digestion track. It’s thought to lower cholesterol and German E Commission uses it for dyspepsia and loss of appetite

Latin Name:
Alpina galangal

Common Names:
Chinese ginger, Little John and Chewing John

Parts Used:
The rhizome, washed, dried and cut.

Properties:
Stimulant and carminative.

Traditional Uses:
Teas, extracts and capsules.

Culinary Uses:
The chopped root can be added to culinary dishes.

Chemical Properties:
Primarily 1,8-cineol, eugenol, tannins. Also contains careneole, pinene, cadimene, galangin, kaempferide, kaempferol, quercetin, isorhamnetin, and galangol.

Cautions:
GRAS: Generally Recognized As Safe. This herb can be safely consumed when used appropriately. Galangal root inhibits the release and actions of pancreatic lipase, so individuals may not want to combine Galangal with digestive enzymes.

Folk Lore:
Galangal has long been recommended as a treatment for sea sickness.

*Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Resources:
PDR for Herbal Medicines, 2000. Medical Economics Company, Montvale, New Jersey.

The New Holistic Herbal. David Hoffmann, 1990. Barnes and Noble Books, New York.

A Modern Herbal, Mrs. M. Grieve, (Dover Publications, New York, 1971)

Major Herbs of Ayurvedic.Compiled by Dahur Research Foundation and Dahur Ayurvet Limited, Ghaziabad, India., 2002. Churchill Livingstone, London, England.

Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition, Dan Bensky and Andrew Gamble, 1986. Eastland Press, Seattle, WA.