Galangal Herb

Galangal herb plant belongs to the same ginger family of plants. This herb is used to make herbal medicines, and best known for its warming and comforting effects on digestion, similar to the herb ginger root. These medicinal properties of galangal make it ideal for treating conditions related to the central region of the body that require greater warmth. Galangal has a nice aromatic smell, and mild spicy taste which makes it a very soothing herb. This herb is native to China. It was introduced in Europe during the 9th century.

Galangal Herb Information

Galangal is a tropical herb, that reaches around 2 meter. It has blade like leaves that are long and wide. It has greenish white flowers which have a dark red veined tip. It gets fruits that look like red berries. The rhizomes, which is the used part of this plant are orange to brown and ringed at intervals, by the yellowish remnants of atrophied leaf bases. Here, are galangal nutritional values and health benefits.

Galangal Medicinal Properties
Galangal has aroma that acts as a stimulant. It is carminative, which means it helps in relieving from gas. It is used to treat many stomach related problems. This herbal medicine is used against nausea, dyspepsia, flatulence, catarrh, rheumatism and enteritis. It also has tonic and antibacterial properties. Due to these two properties it is used in veterinary and homeopathic medicine. Galangal root can be used for treating fungal infections and in pain relief of joints and muscles.

Uses of Galangal Herb
Uses of galangal is mostly confined to Indonesian dishes like curry recipes. However, in Europe it has been known since Middle Ages. Now, galangal is used only in Far Eastern cookery from, Indo-China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. Similar to ginger, galangal is used as a de-fisher, and so it can be seen used for making many fish and sea food recipes. It is used to flavor these dishes along with garlic, chili, ginger and lemon. Galangal is used in many herbal remedies. It is recommended as a remedy for sea sickness. It helps in toning up the tissues and is also prescribed for fever. Many homeopaths use it as a stimulant. Galangal is also used to make cattle medicine, also Arabs use it to make their horses fiery. The powder of galangal herb is also used as a snuff for catarrh.

Side Effects of Galangal
Though, side effects are rare, some people might experience side effects of galangal. Contact your health care provider if you are experiencing any such side effects, while using galangal. Also, if you are on some pre-existing medication and want to use galangal herb, then seek your doctor's advice, before you start using this medicine.

Where to Buy Galangal?
You can buy the fresh galangal at a supermarket near you. If you can't find fresh galangal there, then you can try it at your local farmer's market. To buy dry galangal root, you can visit a herbal medicine store in your city. To use it for aromatherapy, you can buy a bottle of galangal oil. You can also shop for galangal root online.

How to Use Galangal?
To flavor the dishes, use a little pinch of the galangal powder or add half teaspoon of freshly grated galangal. To use it as a herbal medicine, a herbal infusion is prepared. You can do this by using half a teaspoonful of the powder of galangal rhizome and infuse it for 10-15 minutes in a cup containing boiling water. One dose of this herbal infusion can be taken three times a day.

This was all about galangal. You can use fresh galangal to flavor fish and shellfish recipes, or use the powder of the root to treat stomach related problems.