Galangal

By Kenneth Proefrock, NMD

Galangal (Alpinia officinarum) is an ancient and highly revered medicinal agent in Ayurvedic, Traditional Chinese and Thai folk medicine. This botanical cousin to Ginger was recognized to be the superior in many ways and has been employed in medicine for over a thousand years. It has a pungent, hot and spicy taste with an aromatic, ginger-like odor. In traditional Chinese Medicine it is said to “warm the middle” and alleviate pain, being especially good for abdominal pain, vomiting, hiccups and diarrhea¹. It is also recognized as a powerful dispersing agent with analgesic properties that make it an appropriate and effective intervention for rheumatic pains and other inflammatory disorders².

The use of this amazing plant in the western world can be traced back to before its mention by the great mystic Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179). Hildegard referred to galangal as “the spice of life” and a potent aid to digestion and a quick reliever of pain, especially angina, heart attack, and gall bladder attacks. In her classic treatise “Physica”, she writes, “whoever has heart pain and is weak in the heart should instantly eat enough galangal, and he or she will be well again³.” Physicians in Germany who have taken up the modern practice of Hildegard Medicine have reported that galangal is as effective as nitroglycerine in relieving the constrictive heart pain of angina, without any side effects. These same physicians comment that it was Hildegard’s mystical vision that first introduced the world to galangal’s effects as a reliever of heart pain⁴.

In 1898, galangal root was included in King’s American Dispensatory where its effects on dyspepsia and as a digestive aid are elaborated. In addition to these actions Felter and Lloyd consider it a specific agent to relax the perineum and reduce the pain of hemorrhoids⁵. Maude Grieve includes it in her classic text, “A modern Herbal” in 1931 where she considers galangal a stimulant and carminative, especially useful in flatulence, dyspepsia, vomiting and stomach sickness of any kind, including sea-sickness. She describes it as toning the tissues and often being useful in fevers, like most of our diaphoretic agents. She also comments on its use in cattle medicine and by the Arabs to make their horses fiery⁶.

Galangal is a rarely discussed plant agent in modern western botanical medicine. It is, however, still widely present in the modern practice of Ayurvedic medicine as well as traditional Chinese and Thai medicines and as a culinary agent in these same cultures. Its inherently warming nature provokes better blood flow through the extremities and imparts a warm, comforting sensation to the stomach when it is distressed. It makes a phenomenal addition to soup recipes. There are two chemical principles in galangal that have been studied quite intensely over the past few years, the flavonoid galangin and the phenylpropanoid 1’-acetoxychaovicol acetate. A review of these two more researched constituents is as follows:

Galangin — Galangin (3,5,7-trihydroxyflavone) is a flavonoid with multiple biological activities. It was originally found and characterized from galangal root in 1881. It has since been found in many other plants, and is also a constituent of bee propolis throughout the Mediterranean where it is considered to play an antimicrobial role⁷. Several recent studies with this flavonoid suggest that it may have a potent anti-cancer effect, specifically through inhibition of the detoxification enzyme CYP1A1 and modulation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor^8,9. The implication with this type of research is that this flavonoid exerts a protective effect against the carcinogenic potential of overcooked, char-grilled foods. Galangin has also been shown to be a potent preserver of the endogenous free radical scavenger glutathione, thereby playing another anti-carcinogenic role¹⁰. Recent research has also uncovered several mechanisms by which this particular flavonoid exerts a positive effect in the prevention of heart disease. Galangin has a proven anti-oxidative effect on endothelial tissues and acts to help preserve other protective antioxidants such as vitamin E, vitamin C and other flavonoids, in this function it also serves to prevent lipid peroxidation¹¹. Galangin also exerts a strong inhibitory effect on the cyclo-oxygenase family of enzymes, this provides a strong cardioprotective effect by inhibiting the aggregation of platelets, as well as providing a consistent systemic anti-inflammatory effect¹². These are only a few of the known applications for this incredible flavonoid. The Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases for the United States Department of Agricultural Research Service lists this plant constituent as anti-inflammatory, anti-mutagenic, anti-oxidant, anti-viral, cancer preventive and as an aromatase inhibitor. This last entry deserves additional mention; an aromatase inhibitor specifically prevents the conversion of testosterone to estrogen in both men and women. This aspect of galangin’s action provides yet another mechanism for preventing cancer (especially of the breast and prostate) and heart disease.

References
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2. Dharamananda, Subhudi, Chinese Herbology Institute of Traditional Medicine, Ashland, OR 1993, pg.106.
3. Von Bingen, Hildegard, Physica
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5. Felter, Harvey, and Lloyd, John Uri, King’s American Dispensatory 1898, reprinted by Eclectic Medical Publications, Sandy, OR 1983 Pg.906.
6. Grieve, M, A Modern Herbal 1931, Reprinted by Dover Publications, NY, NY 1971, pg. 340.
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