Hongdoukou – 紅豆蔻 – Galanga Galangal Fruit

Description

Hongdoukou – 紅豆蔻 – Galanga Galangal Fruit
Chinese Name: 紅豆蔻
Chinese Pinyin: Dagaoliangjiang, Hongdoukou
English Name: Great Galangal, Galanga Galangal Fruit
Latin Pharmaceutical Name: Galangae Fructus
– Parts of plants that have useful value: Fruits and seeds
– Origin: The dried mature fruit of Alpinia galangal Willd.(Zingiberaceae)
– Production Regions: Primarily produced in the Chinese provinces of Hainan, Guangdong.

• • Description: Perennial clustered herbs, plant up to 2m.Rhizomes lumpy, with joints, brown-red and slightly spicy fragrance. Leaves oblong or lanceolate, 2 rows, 25-35cm long, 6-10cm wide, apex short acute or acuminate, base gradually narrow, glabrous on both sides or long hairs below, margin brown when dry, petioles ca. 6mm long, ligules linear, ca. 5mm long. Panicles acrogenous, 20-30cm long, rachis with hairs, multi-branched, 2-4cm long, each branch with flowers, bracts and bracteoles both late falling, bracteoles lanceolate, 5-8mm long, flowers green-white, refreshing fragrance, calyx tubular, 0.6-1cm long, persistent, corolla tube 0.6-1cm long, lobes oblong, 1.6-1.8cm long, pleurogenous degenerative stamens fine or linear, purple, 0.2-1cm long, inferior ovary, glabrous, style slender, stigma slightly inflated, labellum obovoid, ca. 2cm long, white, with red strings, 2 parted, filaments ca. 1cm long, anthers ca. 7mm long. Capsules oblong, 1-1.5cm long, middle part slightly contractive, brown or date red when mature, smooth or slightly shriveled, thin, not cracked, fragile, with 3-6 seeds. Flowering: May to August; fruiting: September to November.
  • Macroscopic Features Long round, slightly shrunk in the middle, 0.7~1.5cm long, 0.4~1cm diameter; externally reddish-brown or pale reddish-brown, smooth or wrinkled; apex has raised remnants of perianth, base has scar of fruit stem; fruit skin is thin and easily broken. Seed is a triangular polyhedron, with 3 chambers, each has 2 seeds. Seed is irregular tetrahedron, 4~6mm long, 3~6mm diameter, externally dark brown or brown, slightly lustrous, with irregular wrinkles, externally covered with a pale yellow or grayish-yellow aril, back has indented hilum, ventral side has chalaza, raphe is one shallow longitudinal groove. Potent aromatic odor; acrid and spicy taste.
  • Distribution: Growing under dank forests in ravines at altitude 100-1,300m, in thickets and tussocks. Distributed in Taiwan, Guangdong, Hong Kong, Hainan, Guangxi and Yunnan. Widely distributed in tropical regions of Asia. The medicinal materials are produced in Guangxi, Guangdong, Hainan, Yunnan, Sichuan and etc.
  • Harvest & Processing: The herb will bloom and yield fruits on the third year of planting. Harvested fruits when they turn red from Nov- Dec, collected the clusters, spread out in open air for 4-7 days, threshed when peels turn to crimson, removed the dried branches and clear and sun-dried.
    Part Used: Medical part: dried or nearly mature fruits. Chinese name: Hongdoukou.
  • Chemistry: Mainly contains Methyl cinnamate, camphor and cineol, etc.
  • Pharmacology Phlegm-dissipating and anti-ulcer.
  • Properties: Acrid, Pungent, warm.
  • Functions: Warms center, Warming stomach, dries dampness, dispels cold, dispersing cold, arouses the spleen, disperses food, promoting qi-flowing for suppressing pains. Apply to abdominal cold pain, food stagnation and fullness, vomiting and diarrhea, over drinking, dysphagia and nausea.
  • Quality Requirements Superior medicinal material is large, full, with potent aroma.
  • Indications: Cold pain of gastric cavity, vomiting and diarrhea due to improper diet.
  • Usage:
    • Oral administration: decocting, 3-5g; or made as pills pr powders.
    • External application: appropriate amount, fresh products smashed for application.
  • Examples: Treat joint numbness, skin pruritis, bite by snakes, insects and scorpions: an appropriate amount of fresh root of Great galangal, pestled and apply externally.

Hongdoukou – 紅豆蔻 – Galanga Galangal Fruit
中文名稱: 大高良薑，紅豆蔻
漢語拼音: Dagaoliangjiang, Hongdoukou
英文名稱: Great Galangal, Galanga Galangal Fruit
– 拉丁學名: Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd.
– 科屬歸類: 薑科 Zingiberaceae， 山薑屬 Alpinia
– 類別: 果實及種子類
– 來源: 薑科植物大高良薑Alpinia galanga Willd. 的乾燥成熟果實。

• • 生境分佈: 生於海拔100-1300米溝谷蔭濕林下、灌叢和草叢中。 分佈於台灣、廣東、香港、海南、廣西及雲南。亞洲熱帶地區廣佈。 藥材產於廣西、廣東、海南、雲南及四川等地。
  • 植物形態: 多年生叢生草本，植株高達2米。根莖塊狀，有節，棕紅色並略有辛辣味。葉長圓形或披針形，2列，長25-35厘米，寬6-10厘米，先端短尖或漸尖，基部漸窄，兩面無毛或下麵被長柔毛，乾後邊緣褐色，葉柄長約6亳米，葉舌線形，長約5亳米。圓錐花序頂生，長20-30厘米，花序軸被毛，分枝多，長2-4厘米，每分支上-有花，苞片與小苞片均遲落，小苞片披針形，長5-8亳米，花綠白色，清香，花萼筒狀，長0.6-1厘米，宿存，花冠管長0.6-1厘米，裂片長圓形，長1.6-1.8厘米，側生退化雄蕊細狀或綫形，紫色，長0.2-1厘米，子房下位，無毛，花柱細長，柱頭略膨大，唇瓣倒卵狀，長約2厘米，白色，有紅綫，2深裂，花絲長約1厘米，花藥長約7亳米。蒴果長圓形，長1-1.5厘米，中部稍收縮，成熟時棕或棗紅色，平滑或稍皺縮，質薄，不裂，易碎，有3-6種子。花期5-8月，果期9-11月。
  • 性狀: 果實長圓形，中部稍收縮，長0.7~1.5cm，直徑0.4~1cm，表面紅棕色或淡紅棕色，光滑或皺縮，先端有突出的花被殘基，基部有果柄痕；果皮薄；易碎。種子呈三角狀多面體，分3室，每室有種子2粒；種子呈不規則狀四面體，長4~6mm，直徑3~6mm，表面暗棕色或褐棕色，微有光澤，具不規則皺紋，外被淡黃色或灰黃色假種皮，背面有凹陷種臍，合點位於腹面，種脊成一淺縱溝。氣芳香而濃，味辛、辣。
  • 採收加工: 栽培第3年開花結果，於11-12月果實剛呈紅色時採收，將果穗割回，攤放陰涼通風處4-7日，待果皮變成深紅色時脫粒，去掉枝杆，揚淨，曬乾。
  • 藥用部位: 以乾燥成熟果實入藥。中藥名: 紅豆蔻。
  • 主要成分: 主含桂皮酸甲酯、樟腦、桉葉素等。
  • 藥理作用: 祛痰，抗潰瘍等。
  • 性味功能: 辛，溫。溫胃，散寒，行氣止痛。
  • 品質: 以粒大、飽滿、氣味濃者為佳。
  • 功效: 溫中燥濕；燥濕散寒，醒脾消食。用於脘腹冷痛、食積脹滿、嘔吐泄瀉、飲酒過多。用於脘腹冷痛；食積腹脹，嘔吐泄瀉；噎膈反胃 。
  • 主治用法: 胃脘冷痛，傷食吐瀉。內服: 煎湯，3-5克；或入丸、散。外用: 適量，鮮品搗敷。
  • 應用舉例: 治關節麻，皮膚瘙癢，蛇、蟲、蠍咬傷: 大高良薑鮮根適量，搗爛外敷。(雲南中藥誌)