Chinese pinyin: liang jiang

Alias: Alpinia officinarum, Alpinia officinarum

English name: Lesser galangal

Scientific name: Alpinia officinarum Hance

Family and genus: Zingiberaceae

Ecology of basic raw materials: perennial herbs. The rhizome is cylindrical, aromatic and jointed, with annular membranous scales at the joints, and takes root at the joints. Leaves in two rows, long lanceolate, sessile, leaf sheaths open and holding stems. Conical raceme, terminal, floral axis red, corolla funnel-shaped, white or light red. Capsule does not crack, spherical, orange when mature. The seed has a dry aril. The flowering period is April ~1October.

Source: Native to tropical Asia. It has been planted in Yunnan, Guangdong, Guangxi and Taiwan Province. Likes to grow in hillside grass or bushes.

Harvesting and processing: Dig the rhizome that has been growing for 4-6 years in late summer and early autumn, remove the stems, leaves, fibrous roots and scales, wash, cut into small pieces and dry in the sun. Those who are ground into powder are called "good ginger powder".

Usage: It is the rhizome of Alpinia officinarum of Zingiberaceae.

Sexual taste: pungent and warm. Have a strong pungent smell.

Main ingredients: the rhizome contains Galangin, Kaempferide, Quercetin and volatile oil. The main components of oil are 1, 8- cineole (1, 8-Cineole) and Methyl cinnamate. The pungent component of Alpinia officinarum is galangal phenol (Galango 1).

Cooking purposes: It can be used as brine seasoning. Ginger powder is one of the raw materials of "spiced powder".

Other functions: it has the functions of warming spleen and stomach, expelling wind and cold, promoting qi circulation and relieving pain.