Introduction of Gao Liang Jiang:Lesser Galangal Rhizome
✵The article documents the herb Lesser Galangal Rhizome, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, botanical source—namely the dried rhizome of Alpinia officinarum Hance—and provides a detailed introduction to the botanical characteristics, growth habits, and ecological environment of this plant species, as well as the characteristics of the herb, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Gāo Liánɡ Jiānɡ
English Name: Lesser Galangal Rhizome
Latin Name:Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum Properties and Flavor: Hot, pungent
Brief Introduction:Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum is the dried rhizome of Alpinia officinarum Hance, used to warm the stomach, relieve gastralgia, and alleviate vomiting caused by cold. It is commonly known as Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum, Lesser Galangal Rhizome, or Gāo Liáng Jiāng.
Botanical Source: Herbal classical works define Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum (Lesser Galangal Rhizome) as the dried rhizome of (1) Alpinia officinarum Hance. It is a plant of the genus Alpinia, family Zingiberaceae (the ginger family), order Zingiberales. This commonly used species is described below:
(1) Alpinia officinarum Hance
Botanical Description:Alpinia officinarum Hance is commonly known as Gāo Liáng Jiāng. It is a perennial herb that grows up to 30–110 cm tall. The rhizome is cylindrical and amphitropous, reddish-brown, 1–1.5 cm in diameter, with distinct nodes; each node bears circinate (ring-like) membranous scales and adventitious roots. Stems are tufted and erect. Petioles are sessile or subsessile; leaf blades are linear-lanceolate, 15–30 cm long and 1.5–2.5 cm wide, with an acuminate or caudate apex, a tapering base, entire margins, and glabrous surfaces on both sides; leaf sheaths are open and amplexicaul, with membranous margins; the ligule (paraphyll) is membranous, 2–3 cm long, and unlobed.
Inflorescences are terminal, erect racemes, 6–15 cm long; rachises are tomentose. The calyx is terete (tubular), 8–14 mm long, with an irregularly 3-lobed apex. The corolla tube is funnelform, ~1 cm long; the corolla has three oblong lobes; the labellum is ovoid (egg-shaped), white with red stripes, ~2 cm long. Lateral staminodes are subuliform. There is one fertile stamen, ~1.6 cm long, exserted beyond the corolla throat. The ovary is 3-locular and densely tomentose; the style is slender and elongated; two connate, cylindrical nectaries are present at the base of the style; the stigma is bilabiate.
Capsules are globose, indehiscent, ~1.2 cm in diameter, tomentose, and turn salmon-pink (orange-red) at maturity. Seeds possess arils, have obtuse margins and angles, and are brown. Flowering occurs from April to September; fruiting occurs from August to November.
Ecological Environment: The plant grows in shrubby areas on barren hillsides or in open forests, and is also cultivated.
Growth Characteristics:Alpinia officinarum prefers a warm, humid climate. For cultivation, it is advisable to select fields with deep, fertile, well-drained, loose sandy loam soil.
Characteristics of the Herb: The rhizome is cylindrical, often curved and branched, 4–9 cm long and 1–1.5 cm in diameter. The surface is reddish-brown or dark brown, bearing fine longitudinal wrinkles and pale brown (taupe) ring-like nodes; internodes measure 0.5–1 cm; round root scars are visible on the underside. The texture is tough and pliable—difficult to break—and the fracture surface is grayish-brown or brick-red, fibrous, with a prominent endodermal ring and scattered vascular bundle marks. The herb has a fragrant odor and a pungent, hot taste.
Brief History and Anecdotes: The genus Alpinia was named by Plumier [1] in honor of Prospero Alpino, a renowned Italian botanist of the early seventeenth century. The name "galangal" derives from a corruption of a Chinese term meaning "mild ginger." Galangal has been known in Europe for approximately seven centuries longer than its botanical origin was recognized: it was not formally identified until 1870, when specimens collected near Tung-sai in extreme southern China—and later on Hainan Island, directly opposite—were examined. The name Alpinia officinarum was subsequently assigned to this species as the botanical source of Lesser Galangal.
Greater Galangal (Alpinia galanga, formerly Maranta galanga) is native to Java; it is larger, orange-brown in color, and possesses a milder odor and taste. Though occasionally offered at London herb markets, it is rarely used medicinally or culinarily. It bears some resemblance to A. calcarata. This species grows to ~1.52 m (5 ft); its leaves are long and narrowly lanceolate; flowers are borne in a simple, terminal spike, with white petals veined in deep red—particularly on the labellum.
Rhizome pieces are branched, 3.81–7.62 cm (1½–3 inches) long, and seldom exceed 1.9 cm (¾ inch) in thickness. They are cut while fresh, typically into cylindrical segments marked at short intervals by narrow, whitish, slightly raised rings—the leaf-scars of previous growth. Externally, they are dark reddish-brown; internally, the transverse section reveals a dark central region surrounded by a broader, paler zone that darkens upon drying.
The herb has an aromatic odor and a pungent, spicy taste. It is tough and difficult to break; the fracture is granular, with small, ligneous fibers interspersed throughout one side. Galangal rhizomes have been used in Europe as a spice for over a thousand years—likely introduced by Greek physicians—but have largely fallen out of use. Closely resembling ginger, it remains employed in parts of Eastern Europe: it is a traditional spice and remedy in Lithuania and Estonia, used to flavor vinegar and the liqueur nastoika; some communities prepare a tea containing it; and brewers incorporate it into certain beverages. Its reddish-brown powder is used as snuff, and in South Asia, its essential oil is valued in perfumery.
Alpinia officinarum Hance is a perennial plant of the Zingiberaceae family. Its rhizome closely resembles ginger and is used in curries, stews, and any dish calling for ginger. Harvested at the turn of summer and autumn, rhizomes grown for 4–6 years are dug up and selected for use. Procedure: remove the aerial stems, fibrous roots, and residual leaf sheaths from the rhizome; wash thoroughly; cut into segments; and sun-dry for use in the crude (unprocessed) form.
Pharmacological Actions: (1) Stimulates gastric juice secretion, exhibits antidiarrheal and analgesic effects; (2) Exerts antithrombotic, anticoagulant, and antiplatelet aggregation activities; ether extracts of Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum show no anti-hypoxic effect; (3) Demonstrates varying degrees of inhibitory activity against Bacillus anthracis, alpha-hemolytic streptococci, beta-hemolytic streptococci, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, diphtheroid bacilli, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis, among others.
Medicinal Efficacy: Warms the stomach and dispels cold; expels wind; promotes the circulation of Qi; regulates Qi and alleviates pain; aids digestion and relieves abdominal discomfort. It is indicated for epigastric cold pain, cold accumulation in the spleen and stomach, vomiting due to cold stomach, belching with acid regurgitation, vomiting and diarrhea, retching and food regurgitation, dyspeptic retention, malignant malaria, and cold-induced syndromes.
Administration of Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum (Gāo Liánɡ Jiānɡ):
Reference:
Administration Guide for Rhizoma Alpiniae Officinarum (Gāo Liánɡ Jiānɡ)
TCM Books:
(1) Internally: 3–6 grams; (2) Internally: water decoction, 0.5–1 qián (≈1.5–3 grams), or prepared as pills or powder; (3) Internally: water decoction, 3–6 grams, or prepared as pills or powder.
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Explanatory Notes:
1. Plumier: Charles Plumier (1646–1704), a French botanist and explorer, author of Nova Plantarum Americanarum Genera (1703–1704), and Royal Botanist to King Louis XIV of France.
References:
1.Introduction of Gao Liang Jiang: Lesser Galangal Rhizome
✵The article documents the herb Lesser Galangal Rhizome, including its English name, Latin name, Pinyin name, properties and flavor, botanical source—namely the dried rhizome of Alpinia officinarum Hance—and provides a detailed introduction to the botanical characteristics, growth habits, and ecological environment of this plant species, as well as the characteristics of the herb, its pharmacological actions, medicinal efficacy, and administration guidelines.
Pinyin Name: Gāo Liánɡ Jiānɡ
Botanical Description: Alpinia officinarum Hance is commonly known as Gāo Liáng Jiāng. It is a perennial herb that grows up to 30–110 cm tall. The rhizome is cylindrical and amphitropous, reddish-brown, 1–1.5 cm in diameter, with distinct nodes; each node bears circinate (ring-like) membranous scales and adventitious roots. Stems are tufted and erect. Petioles are sessile or subsessile; leaf blades are linear-lanceolate, 15–30 cm long and 1.5–2.5 cm wide, with an acuminate or caudate apex, a tapering base, entire margins, and glabrous surfaces on both sides; leaf sheaths are open and amplexicaul, with membranous margins; the ligule (paraphyll) is membranous, 2–3 cm long, and unlobed.
Characteristics of the Herb: The rhizome is cylindrical, often curved and branched, 4–9 cm long and 1–1.5 cm in diameter. The surface is reddish-brown or dark brown, bearing fine longitudinal wrinkles and pale brown (taupe) ring-like nodes; internodes measure 0.5–1 cm; round root scars are visible on the underside. The texture is tough and pliable—difficult to break—and the fracture surface is grayish-brown or brick-red, fibrous, with a prominent endodermal ring and scattered vascular bundle marks. The herb has a fragrant odor and a pungent, hot taste.
The herb has an aromatic odor and a pungent, spicy taste. It is tough and difficult to break; the fracture is granular, with small, ligneous fibers interspersed throughout one side. Galangal rhizomes have been used in Europe as a spice for over a thousand years—likely introduced by Greek physicians—but have largely fallen out of use. Closely resembling ginger, it remains employed in parts of Eastern Europe: it is a traditional spice and remedy in Lithuania and Estonia, used to flavor vinegar and the liqueur nastoika; some communities prepare a tea containing it; and brewers incorporate it into certain beverages. Its reddish-brown powder is used as snuff, and in South Asia, its essential oil is valued in perfumery.
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