Lengkuas
Scientific Name : Alpinia Galanga
Bahasa Indonesian : Lengkuas
Batak : Halas
Basic Information:
Alpinia galanga,[1] a plant in the ginger family, bears a rhizome used as an herb in Southeast Asian cookery. It is one of four plants known as “galangal“, and is differentiated from the others with the common names lengkuas, greater galangal, and blue ginger.
The name “galangal” is probably derived from Persian qulanjan or Arabic khalanjan, which in turn may be an adaptation of Chinese gao liang jiang. Its names in India is derived from the same root, including kulanja in Sanskrit, kulanjan in Hindi, and kholinjan in Urdu.[2]
The name “lengkuas”, on the other hand, is derived from Malay lengkuas, which is derived from Proto-Western Malayo-Polynesian *laŋkuas, with cognates including Ilokano langkuás; Tagalog, Bikol, Kapampangan, Visayan, and Manobo langkáuas or langkáwas; Aklanon eangkawás; Kadazan Dusun hongkuas; Ida’an lengkuas; Ngaju Dayak langkuas; and Iban engkuas. Some of the names have become generalized and are also applied to other species of Alpinia as well as for Curcuma zedoaria.[3]
Alpinia galanga is also called laos Javanese and laja in Sundanese. Other names include romdeng (រំដេង) in Cambodia; pa de kaw (ပတဲကော) in Myanmar; kha in Thailand; nankyo in Japan; and hong dou kou in Mandarin Chinese.[4] In Tamil it is known as a “பேரரத்தை or பெரியரத்தை” (“Pae-reeya-ra-thai), widely used in Siddha Medicine and in culinaries.
Health Benefits:
Galangal Benefits for Health Increase Male Fertility Based on the results of research published in the Iranian Journal of Reproductive Medicine in 2014, it was revealed that galangal roots can provide increased ability to move and sperm count, and are said to be able to improve sperm health. After consuming galangal, sperm is believed to increase 3 times. So for those of you who want to get a baby soon, it’s not wrong to try consuming galangal. Cure Asthma The benefits of galangal for further health namely treating asthma. Galangal is considered capable of widening the bronchioles, so it is effective in reducing asthma. This is increasingly clear considering galangal has anti-inflammatory properties. Prevents Cancer and Tumors The next benefit of galangal is to prevent cancer and tumors. Cancer and tumors are very dangerous diseases. But apparently galangal is also effective in preventing this disease. Galangal has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, so it can reduce DNA damage due to free radicals. Even British researchers found that galangal has cancer-fighting properties. A proven trial is to deal with breast and lung cancer. Lowers cholesterol Another benefit of galangal is lowering cholesterol. Research in China states that galangal extract can fight fatty acid synthase with the help of flavonoids such as kaempferol and quercetin. Other research conducted in Korea, also proved that galangal extract is effective for reducing cholesterol and triglycerides. So, there’s no harm in trying for treatment. Reduce fever The benefits of galangal for health can also reduce fever. Galangal combined with tilapia embryo is also effective as a natural remedy to reduce fever. The treatment method is also simple, that is, you need to take 5-6 pieces of Tilapia-Embu leaves, then mix with ½ larger galangal. All the ingredients are then heated with a cup of water to boiling. For more effective results, drink stew regularly 2-3 days. Cough Cure The benefits of galangal for the last health that is effective to cure coughing. coughing often upsets the activity, especially if it doesn’t heal immediately. Well, consuming galangal tap water turned out to be very efficacious to cure coughing. The way to process it is quite simple, first prepare a drink bottle and then cut the galangal into small pieces. After that, enter the galangal that has been cut into the mouth of the bottle. Before consumption, leave the galangal overnight and consume for 3 times in a row until the cough subsides. Thus the benefits of galangal for health.
Fun facts :
The most impressive health benefits of galangal are its ability to prevent cancer, act as an anti-inflammatory agent, strengthen the immune system, increase sperm production and protect the brain.
1. Prevent cancer Various kinds of antioxidants present in this herb can slow oxidative stress and reduce the risk of developing cancer cells.
2. Anti-inflammatory Turmeric is believed to reduce inflammation, including gout, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, and other common problems.
3. Strengthening the immune system With a good amount of vitamin C, which is supported by unique antioxidants such as alpine and galangin, galangal can strengthen the immune system.
4. Improve brain function Another benefit of antioxidants is their impact on brain health, by reducing the deposition of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain. Thus this spice can slow down or prevent the onset of neurodegenerative diseases
. 5. Increase sperm production Studies have found that this spice can specifically increase sperm production.
Sources:
https://id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lengkuas
