Alpinia galanga (L.) willd: plant morphological characteristic, histochemical analysis and review on pharmacological

Alpinia galanga is an important rhizomatous plant widely used as an aromatic cooking spice and herbal medicines. This study aims to describe the plant morphological characteristic of. A. galanga, examine the presence of chemical components in rhizomes through histochemical analysis and review its pharmacological potentials. A. galanga is characterized as a perennial herb; rhizome cylindrical and branched, hard, reddish brown or pale yellow-green, strong aroma; pseudostem erect, leaves lanceolate-oblong, alternate; inflorescence terminal, erect, many flowers, white or yellowish, fragrant; fruit globose to the ellipsoidal capsule, yellow-orange to red. Histochemical analysis showed that the rhizome contains starch, protein, lipid, alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins. Among the primary metabolites, lipid size is larger than protein and starch. However, the density of starch secretory cells is higher than protein and fat, approximately 23.14 ± 3.01 cells/mm2. Among secondary metabolites, alkaloids size higher than tannins and flavonoids. Nevertheless, the density of secretory cells of flavonoids is higher than alkaloids and tannins, approximately 2.24 ± 1.44 cells/mm2. This current review indicates that almost all parts of the A. galanga plant contain many bioactive compounds, including antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-ulcer, antibacterial, antitumor, anti-HIV, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic and antidiabetic.