Alpinia chinensis (Retz.) Rosc.
Aliases：Suī, Jiāng Huì (literally "Ginger Gathering"), Shān Jiāng (literally "Mountain Ginger"), Jiāng Huó (literally "Ginger Alive"), Jiàn Gǎn Fēng (literally "Visible Stem Wind"), Zuò Gān (literally "Seat Pole"), Jiàn Gān (literally "Sword Pole"), Dà Gān (literally "Large Pole"), Jiāng Yè Yín Yáng Huò (literally "Ginger‑Leaf Epimedium"), Suí, Jiàn Gān Fēng (literally "Arrow‑Stem Wind"), Xiǎo Liáng Jiāng (literally "Small Fine Ginger"), Jiǔ Lián Jiāng (literally "Nine‑Joined Ginger"), Jiāng Huā (literally "Ginger Flower"), Tǔ Jiāng Huó (literally "Earth Ginger Alive"), Shān Jiāng Huó (literally "Mountain Ginger Alive"), Bái Cǎo Guǒ (literally "White Grass Fruit"), Shān Qiāng Huó (literally "Mountain Qiang‑living"), Jiāng Huā Gēn (literally "Ginger Flower Root"), Lián Jiāng Bā (literally "Joined Ginger Clump"), Lù Biān Jiāng (literally "Roadside Ginger"), etc. (These are all alternative names for Lián Jiāng, i.e., the rhizome of Alpinia chinensis / Chinese Galangal.)
Lián Jiāng (Lian Jiang) is a traditional Chinese medicinal material. It is the rhizome of Alpinia chinensis (Retz.) Rosc. (also known as Alpinia oblongifolia Hayata), a plant belonging to the family Zingiberaceae. It was first recorded in Bencao Gangmu Shiyi (A Supplement to the Compendium of Materia Medica).
Efficacy & Actions
Warms the middle and promotes digestion, dispels cold and relieves pain, activates blood circulation, and relieves cough and wheezing.
Indications
Cold pain in the stomach, hiccups and vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea, indigestion, cold pain in rheumatic joints, traumatic injuries, and cough and wheezing due to wind‑cold.
Modern Pharmacology
Effect on isolated intestinal smooth muscle: The decoction of Alpinia chinensis at small doses strengthens the contraction of the small intestine in mice and guinea pigs, while large doses show an inhibitory effect, partially antagonizing the intestinal tension and tonic contraction induced by acetylcholine or barium chloride. Effect on intestinal propulsion: The decoction of Alpinia chinensis can accelerate intestinal propulsion in mice.
Ingredients
The seeds contain 0.6% oil, which includes 0.5% palmitic acid and a phenolic substance. The low‑temperature fraction of the oil contains 7% 1,8‑cineole, while the high‑temperature fraction contains 30% α‑caryophyllene and a sesquiterpenol. It also contains izalpinin and alpinetin.
Usage & Dosage
For oral administration: decoct in water, 6–15 g; or steep in wine. For topical application: appropriate amount, mashed for application.
Selected Formulas
For stomach qi pain (Guizhou Herbal Medicine) Take 30g of Shanjiang (Alpinia japonica), simmer in water and drink. For rheumatic joint cold pain (Guizhou Herbal Medicine) Take 30g each of Shanjiang, Shinan Teng (a local herb), Xiangzhang Gen (a local herb), and Honghe Ma (a local herb). Simmer in water and drink, three times daily. For wheezing and cough (Guizhou Herbal Medicine) Take an appropriate amount of Shanjiang, soak in children’s urine for 3 days, remove and dry in the sun. Take 30g of the processed herb and soak in 250g of wine. Take 15g each morning and evening. For pulmonary tuberculosis cough (Guizhou Herbal Medicine) Take 15g each of Shanjiang, Ganjiang (Dried ginger), and walnut kernel, steam with 30g of honey, and consume.
Medicinal Parts
It is the rhizome of Alpinia chinensis (Retz.) Rosc., a plant belonging to the family Zingiberaceae.
Selection & Storage
Store in a cool, dry place, protected from moisture and insects.
