(Alpinia officinarum) 

Native to the island of Hainan and the southeastern coast of China, lesser galangal is member of the ginger family.  For at least a millennium and a half it has been used throughout Asia as a medicinal herb.  It is distinguished from “greater galangal” which has been used as a cooking spice for even longer.  Lesser galangal was used in Europe in mediaeval times and appears in the writings of early Arabic physicians. The abbess Hildegard von Bingen mentions it in her book, “Natural Science,” written around 1200 A.D. It is also a primary herb in Ayurvedic and Tibetan medicine.  As with bloodroot, significant research has been conducted on the many therapeutic properties and mechanisms of action of lesser galangal and its ability to assist in keeping and regaining health.  See lessergalangal.com to view a comprehensive library of abstracts of peer-reviewed professional journal articles on the subject.

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