Medicinal and Pharmacological Perspectives of Kaempferia Galanga L.: Integrating Ethnobotanical Knowledge with Contemporary Biomedical Research

Kaempferia galanga L. (family Zingiberaceae), often referred to as aromatic ginger or sand ginger, is a medicinal herb characterized by its rhizomatous nature and is extensively found throughout tropical Asia. It has been traditionally esteemed in various ethnomedicinal practices. The rhizome, recognized as the most pharmacologically potent part, is typically utilized in the form of decoctions, powders, or topical applications. Pharmacological investigations have shown a diverse range of biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, sedative, and vasorelaxant effects. Its anti-inflammatory and analgesic characteristics particularly support its traditional applications in alleviating pain and swelling, while its antimicrobial properties substantiate its use in treating infections and promoting wound healing.Despite these encouraging results, the clinical validation of Kaempferia galanga is still insufficient, highlighting the need for well-structured human studies to confirm its efficacy, safety, appropriate dosages, and mechanisms of action Kaempferia galanga is from a dried rhizome of herb Kaempferia galanga L., belonging to the important family Zingiberaceae and genus Kaempferia. It also called sand ginger, aromatic ginger in different areas. Kaempferia galanga is native to India, and commonly found in China, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand (Wang and Tang, 1980; Santhoshkumari and Devi, 1991). In Southern China, such as Guangxi, Guangdong, Yunnan are the main producing areas of Kaempferia galanga. In China, being a source of valuable bioactive compounds, it was used as a folk medicine due to its good curative effect on rheumatism, dry cough, colic, muscle pain, inflammations, as well as tumors (Park et al., 2005; Liu et al., 2010; He et al., 2012).