Languas galanga (Hongdoukou)

Distribution:
Grassland areas of Southern China and Southeast Asia, and India. Forests, scrub, grasslands; 100–1300 m. Fujian, Guangdong,Guangxi, Hainan, Taiwan, Yunnan [India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myan-mar, Thailand, Vietnam

Properties (characteristics):
Acrid, warm.
 
Channels (meridians) entered:
Stomach, lung.
 
Medical functions:
Inhibitory effect on fungi.
inhibitory effect against Staphylococcus aureus
The ingredient curcumin possesses anticancer effect.
1'-acetoxychavicol acetate can inhibit human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-I).
1'-acetoxychavicol acetate can also inhibit tumor-promoter-induced Epstein-Barr virus activation.

A study on mice feeding ethanol extract of jiang huang and another group with nan jiang, the gain in weights of sexual organs and increased sperm motility and sperm counts were observed in both groups of extract-treated male mice, however, these changes were highly significant in the nan jiang ( Alpina. galanga) treated group. Both extracts failed to show any spermatotoxic effects.

Actions & Indications:
Being used in catarrh (inflammatin of the muccus), flatulence of the digestive tract, bad digestion, bad circulation with cold and/or numb limbs, Chronic Rhinitis, flu with cough, chronic cough, Stomachache.

Chemical ingredients:
kaempferol
galangin
galangol  (which yields cineole)
pinene
eugenol
1'-acetoxychavicol acetate

According another study that the main constituents identified in the rhizome oil were 1,8-cineole (39.4%) and -pinene (11.9%). The leaf oil contained 1,8-cineole (32.5%), -pinene (22.7%) and camphor (12.8%), as major constituents.