Benefits of Galangal

Some people are not very familiar with galangal, so they are even less likely to know its effects. In fact, galangal and the ginger we usually eat are similar in many ways, and similarly, galangal also has many benefits for the body. But in reality, many people don’t understand galangal, or have never heard of it.

This may have something to do with the fact that ginger is deeply rooted in most people. Everyone knows that ginger has a slightly spicy taste, and so does galangal. We usually use ginger to remove odors from dishes, and sometimes we make ginger tea to drive away the cold. Let’s take a closer look at the effects of galangal.

Effects on the digestive system

Experiments show that oral administration of galangal decoction to dogs can significantly increase the total gastric acid excretion compared with the control group, but has no significant effect on gastric protein activity. Oral administration to mice can significantly counteract the inhibition of ink gastrointestinal propulsion rate by atropine, and can counteract the laxative effect caused by senna, but cannot counteract the laxative effect of castor oil. Senna is a laxative that stimulates the large intestine, while castor oil is a laxative that stimulates the small intestine. Most warming medicines have an antidiarrheal effect on stimulating large intestine diarrhea. It has been reported that galangal decoction has an excitatory effect on the intestinal motility of isolated rabbits. Small doses can counteract hexamethonium and atropine, and larger doses can counteract the inhibition of isolated rabbit jejunal activity by adrenaline and propranolol, but cannot counteract diphenhydramine. This suggests that the excitatory effect of galangal on intestinal activity may be related to the ability of choline to

It has nothing to do with nerves and M-receptors, but may be related to its histamine-like and anti-adrenergic effects.

Antibacterial effect In vitro, galangal has an inhibitory effect on human tuberculosis. In vitro experiments have shown that galangal decoction (100%) has different degrees of antibacterial effect on anthrax bacteria, α-hemolytic streptococci, β-hemolytic streptococci, diphtheria bacteria, pseudodiphtheria bacteria, pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, lemon Staphylococcus, white Staphylococcus, Bacillus subtilis, etc.

Other effects

The water extract or volatile oil of Alpinia officinalis was given to rats by gavage, which had antithrombotic effect. It could significantly prolong the partial thromboplastin time of white clay, but had no significant effect on plasma prothrombin time, prothrombin consumption time, thrombin time, factor V, factor VII, etc., indicating that it participates in the endogenous coagulation system and has a certain anticoagulant effect. The water extract can significantly inhibit the aggregation of rabbit platelets induced by ADP or collagen.

Alpinia officinalis decoction can significantly delay the pain response time (hot plate method) of mice. Its analgesic effect may be related to its inhibition of prostaglandin synthase and phosphatase systems.

The ether extract and water extract of Alpinia officinalis can significantly prolong the duration of mouth-opening action of decapitated mice and the survival time of mice poisoned by potassium cyanide; but it has no effect on the survival time of mice poisoned by sodium nitrite. The ether extract can prolong the survival time of mice under normal pressure and airtight hypoxia and slow down the oxygen consumption rate of the body; the water extract has no effect on prolonging the survival time of mice under normal pressure and airtight hypoxia, but can improve the oxygen utilization capacity of mice under hypoxic conditions.

Through the above article’s detailed introduction to galangal and its functions and effects, we can make good use of galangal in our lives in the future. Not only that, we also learned that galangal has a relatively comprehensive and significant effect on the human body. So in the future, if similar problems arise in your life, you can actually seek help from galangal instead of taking medicine directly.