Kaempferia galanga, commonly known as kencur, aromatic ginger, sand ginger, cutcherry, or resurrection lily, is a monocotyledonous plant in the ginger family, and one of four plants called galangal. It is found primarily in open areas in Indonesia, southern China, Taiwan, Cambodia, and India, but is also widely cultivated throughout Southeast Asia.
Culinary and medical use
Kaempferia galanga is used as an herb in cooking in Indonesia, where it is called kencur (‘cekur’ in Malaysia), and especially in Javanese and Balinese cuisines. Beras kencur, which combines dried K. galanga powder with rice flour, is a particularly popular jamu herbal drink. Its leaves are also used in the Malay rice dish, nasi ulam.
Unlike the similar Boesenbergia rotunda (Thai กระชาย krachai), K. galanga is not commonly used in Thai cuisine, but can be bought as a dried rhizome or in powder form at herbal medicine stalls. It is known in Thai as proh horm (เปราะหอม) or waan horm (ว่านหอม), and in Khmer as prâh (ប្រោះ) or prâh krâ-oup (ប្រោះក្រអូប). It is also used in Chinese cooking and Chinese medicine, and is sold in Chinese groceries under the name sha jiang (Chinese: 沙姜; pinyin: shajiang),[1] while the plant itself is referred to as shan nai (Chinese: 山柰; pinyin: shannai).[2]Kaempferia galanga has a peppery camphorous taste.[1]
Health Benefits:
1. Clean the dirty blood
One of the benefits is cleaning dirty blood. How to make this herb very easy. Provide Kaempferia Galanga, two dry clove grains, fistula cassia leaf, and fennel seeds as necessary.
All of these ingredients are then boiled in 1 liter of water. Allow to boil, and remove. Strain and let stand cool, taken twice a day.
2. Treating colds
Treating colds very easily with Kaempferia Galanga, rinse the rhizome clean. Rhizome eaten with salt, and drink warm water. Drink twice a day.
3. Treating stomach ulcers
Wash or clean two Kaempferia Galanga rhizomes. Peeled and chewed straight away, all you need is to suck the water from the rhizome and throw away the dregs. Do it several times until healed.
4. Treating Heartburn
Benefits Kaempferia Galanga to treat heartburn also has much to prove. You simply wash the rhizome and grate. Then add a little cooking water and salt. Strain and drink this water as much as 2-3 times a day.
More: Health benefits of peppermint essential oil
5. Treating a sprain
Kaempferia Galanga is also useful for treating sprains. Simply clean one rhizome of Kaempferia Galanga and mixed with a handful of rice that has been soaked. Then, mash the two until smooth and apply on the sprained area.
6. Treating cough
Take one Kaempferia Galanga rhizome and grate until smooth, mix warm water and stir until evenly distributed. Strain and drink, well also add a little salt. You can drink this traditional herb once per day.
7. Medication for diarrhea
Destroy two Kaempferia Galanga rhizomes with two cloves of red items until completely destroyed. Provide banana leaves to wrap the result of the collision, bake on top of embers, then apply on the stomach. This herb will treat diarrhea quickly.
