Common Name: Lesser Galangal

General Information

Lesser galangal is a herbaceous, perennial plant producing a clump of leafy stems 100 - 150cm tall from an underground, copiously branched, creeping rhizome[]. The hard, shining, dark brown to black rhizomes are 8 - 12mm in diameter[].
The plant has been used as a medicine and spice for well over 1,000 years, having arrived in Europe from China in about the 9th century[]. It is cultivated throughout the tropics of Asia as a spice and medicinal plant[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

E. Asia - China, Myanmar, Vietnam.

Habitat

Grasslands and thickets[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	1.10 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant for the warmer, moister tropics, preferring high humidity and a temperature that does not fall below 15°c[]. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 19 - 27°c, but can tolerate 15 - 36°c[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,500 - 3,000mm, but tolerates 1,100 - 4,000mm[].
Prefers a well-drained, humus-rich soil and a position in partial shade[]. Prefers a pH in the range 4.5 - 5.5, tolerating 4 - 6[].

Edible Uses

The reddish-brown rhizomes have a spicy aroma and a pungent taste that is somewhere between pepper and ginger[]. They have been used to flavour vinegar[].
The rhizome is the source of true galangal oil used for flavouring foods and soft drinks such as ginger ale[].

The leaves are edible[].

The fruit can be used as a substitute for the cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)[].

Medicinal

The rhizome of lesser galangal is a bitter, aromatic, stimulant herb that acts mainly on the digestive system[]. It is more aromatic and pungent than galangal (Alpinia galanga,) but contains more or less the same compounds, although in lesser galangal they are present in larger quantities[]. The local use of both species is approximately the same[]. The rhizome is also carminative, relieves pain, lowers fevers and controls bacterial and fungal infections[, ]. The roots are harvested when 4 - 6 years old and can be used fresh or dried[].

The rhizomes are widely used in Vietnam for treating stomach problems including dyspepsia, flatulence, vomiting, gastralgia, colic, diarrhoea, fever and malaria, and are locally applied to infected gums[]. In Thailand, they are used as a carminative and for indigestion[].

The seeds are used in China, for treating heartburn, cholera, toothache, ague and colds.

Other Uses

The rhizome is the source of true galangal oil used in perfume compositions to which it imparts unique, warm, spicy notes[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe[]. Sow in containers and keep at around 20c[].
Division of the rootstock as new growth begins[]. Very easy.

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