Alpinia galanga Willd.

Family-  Zingiberaceae.
Habitat-  The Himalayas and southern region of western Ghats.
English-  Greater Galangal.
Ayurvedic-  Kulanjana, Sthuulagranthi,Sugandhaa, Ugragandhaa,Malaya Vachaa, Mahaabhari-Vachaa. Substitute for Raasnaa(Pluchea lanceolata).
Unani-  Khulanjaan.
Siddha/Tamil-  Perarattai.
Action-  Rhizome—carminative (in dyspepsia), stomachic, circulatory stimulant, diaphoretic, antiinflammatory.Throughout southern India, the rhizome of Alpinia galanga is used as Raasnaa for rheumatism, intermittent fever, dyspepsia and respiratory ailments.(In the north, Vanda tessellata
or Pluchea lanceolata is used as Raasnaa.)EtOH extract of the plant shows anti-inflammatory activity. The ethanolic extract also showed significant antiulcer activity in rats, which has been attributed to the antisecretory and cytoprotective properties of the plant.Major constituents of the essential oil are methyl cinnamate, cineole and d-pinene. In moderate doses, the oil exhibits antispasmodic action.Unani physicians use A. galanga as a sex tonic. In mice, the drug caused a significant gain in theweight of sexual organs and increased sperm motility and sperm count.Plants used as Raasnaa in Indian medicine: Alpinia galangaWilld. (Zingiberaceae) in southern India; Pluchea lanceolata C. B. Clarke (Compositae;Asteraceae) in Uttar Pradesh; Vanda roxburghii R. Br. (Orchidaceae) in eastern Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal;
Blepharispermum subsessile DC.(Compositae; Asteraceae) in Madhya Pradesh; and Dodonaea viscosa (Linn.)Jacq. (Sapindaceae) inAndhraPradesh.
Dosage  Rhizome—1-3 g powder.Decoction—50-100 ml. (CCRAS.)