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The family Zingiberaceae contains a number of volatile and essential oils including terpenoids and phenylpropanoids. The obvious aromatic nature of most parts of most species has led to the plants being used by mankind for a vast array of purposes throughout almost all of recorded human history. On top of this, various culinary gingers have been further utilized for their medicinal qualities. These uses are not merely the preserve of ancient traditional folklore, and modern trials are revealing new applications for the plants every year.
Several Alpinia species are utilized by humans. Aboriginal peoples have long favoured the blue-fruited Australian clumping cane, A. caerulea, both for its edible fruit and rhizome tips and for its leaves, which are traditionally used as a bed on which to lay meat while it is cooked in an earth oven.
Alpinia galanga, known as the greater galangale or simply galangale, is a very popular spice throughout Southeast Asia and particularly in the cuisine of Thailand. It is also known and used in Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, and southern China and is an occasional supplement in the Chinese five spice powder. While little encountered in the West these days, the galangale was a valuable and much used spice in the early Middle Ages. The rhizome is used both fresh and dried and is employed as a remedy for indigestion, colic, dysentery, food poisoning, problems of the spleen, and even to alleviate stomach cancer. An infusion of the leaves is also used as a stimulant and to combat rheumatism.
The leaves of Alpinia zerumbet were used traditionally as a wrapper for food, where they acted as both a preservative and a flavouring agent. A Brazilian research company affiliated with Federal University of Ceará has determined that the species contains compounds known as kavatoids, and the company markets a medicinal compound made up of the ground leaves for use in combating stress and hypertension.
Among the hardy Amomum species, two are edible. The immature inflorescence of A. dealbatum is eaten in curries, and the seed of the species used as a form of cardamom. The fruit of a number of gingers from several genera are used to produce different forms of this important spice. Amomum subulatum is cultivated in large quantity in Nepal and Sikkim, where its partially ripened seed pods are harvested and dried to form black cardamom, a valued spice with a smoky flavour that is employed in a wide range of Indian dishes.
Boesenbergia rotunda is not as widely seen, but the swollen tuberous roots, known as Chinese keys or fingerroot, are popular in Thailand, both in raw and cooked forms, to flavour a variety of dishes. The pickled tubers are a delicacy in Thailand and Indonesia, and the young shoots and fresh leaves of the species are also occasionally consumed. Despite its common name, B. rotunda is not eaten in China
