Alpinia officinarum.  高 良 姜 Gāo liáng jiāng   Lesser galangal Family: Zingiberaceae    
Alpinia officinarum, known as lesser galangal, is a plant in the ginger family, cultivated in Southeast Asia. It originated in China, where its name ultimately derives. It can grow several feet high, with long leaves and reddish-white flowers. The rhizomes, known as galangal, are valued for their spicy flavor and aromatic scent. These are used throughout Asia in curries and perfumes, and were previously used widely in Europe.
PART USED: Rhizome
Nature- hot   FLAVOR: Acrid/Pungent. CHANNEL: Spleen, Stomach
FUNCTIONS- Similar to dry ginger- Gan jiang
GROUP: Warm the Interior and Expel Cold
1. Alleviate and relieve vomiting. Disperse Cold- Gan jiang better.[3] Strengthen Stomach.[3]
2. Relieve pain- stronger than Gan jiang.[3]
INDICATIONS
1. Vomiting and pain in the abdomen due to deficiency Cold in middle Heater- Abdominal pain, Stomach or duodenal ulcer, gastritis, stomach pain, excessive saliva. If deficiency Stomach don't use Gao liang jiang by itself, as interferes with digestion- add Dang Shen.[3]
PATENT COMBINATIONS
PREPARATIONS:  Decoction 3-10 g. Dry rhizome 2-6 g.[1]

DESCRIPTION: Galangal root is about 50 mm long, less than 12 mm in diameter, externally of a rust color, longitudinally striated and transversely marked with the remnants of the leaf sheaths. Internally is is greyish drown, and breaks with fribrous fracture. It has an agreeable aromatic odor and a warm aromatic taste, resembling that of mingled ginger and pepper.
The seeds are ash-colored, flattish, adn somewhat three-cornered, and have a large hilum.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Constituents.
Research.

Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activity of Alpinia officinarum
A. R. Srividya,* S. P. Dhanabal, V. K. Misra, and G. Suja
Abstract
Alpinia officinarum is a rhizome belonging to the family Zingiberaceae. Hydro alcoholic extract by hot and cold maceration and methanol extract by percolation process Qualitative phytochemical analysis of extract of Alpinia officinarum rhizome showed a majority of the compound including tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids and saponins. Hydroalcoholic extract prepared by hot maceration process was found to contain more phenol and flavonol and it was measured as 50.1 mg/g and 54.02 mg/g, respectively. All the three extracts showed moderate to potent antimicrobial activity against the Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureas, Pseudomonas auroginosa, Escherichia coli. None of the extracts showed antifungal activity against Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. All the three extracts showed a concentration dependent radical scavenging activity by inhibiting diphenylpicrylhydrazyl free radical at the same time hydroalcoholic extract prepared by hot maceration process showed better reducing and total antioxidant activity.
Indian J Pharm Sci. 2010 Jan-Feb; 72(1): 145–148.  doi: 10.4103/0250-474X.62233  PMCID: PMC2883221 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Alpinia officinarum Stimulates Osteoblast Mineralization and Inhibits Osteoclast Differentiation.
Shim KS, Lee CJ, Yim NH, Gu MJ, Ma JY.
Abstract
Alpinia officinarum rhizome has been used as a traditional herbal remedy to treat inflammatory and internal diseases. Based on the previously observed inhibitory effect of A. officinarum rhizome in an arthritis model, we evaluated whether a water extract of A. officinarum rhizome (WEAO) would enhance in vitro osteoblast mineralization using calvarial osteoblast precursor cells or would inhibit in vitro osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption using bone marrow derived macrophages. In osteoblasts, WEAO enhanced the mRNA levels of transcription factor (runt-related transcription factor 2, smad1, smad5, and junB) and marker (bone morphogenetic protein-2, collagen type 1alpha1, and osteocalcin) genes related to osteoblast mineralization, consistent with increased alizarin red S staining intensity. WEAO markedly inhibited osteoclast differentiation by suppressing the receptor activator for nuclear factor-[Formula: see text]B ligand-induced downregulation of inhibitor of DNA binding 2 and V-maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog B and the phosphorylation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase, p38, nuclear factor-[Formula: see text]B, c-Src, and Bruton's tyrosine kinase to induce nuclear factor of activated T cells cytoplasmic 1 expression. WEAO also suppressed the resorbing activity of mature osteoclasts by altering actin ring formation. Therefore, the results of this study demonstrate that WEAO stimulates osteoblast mineralization and inhibits osteoclast differentiation. Thus, WEAO may be a promising herbal candidate to treat or prevent pathological bone diseases by regulating the balance between osteoclast and osteoblast activity.
PMID: 27627921 DOI: 10.1142/S0192415X16500701  Am J Chin Med. 2016;44(6):1255-1271. Epub 2016 Sep 15. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov