Galangal essential oil
Alpinia officinarum
Riềng · Zingiberaceae
Spicy, sharp, camphoraceous, drier and cooler than ginger. The opening is close to eucalyptus, then the warm spice of the root comes through.
That coolness is 1,8-cineole, the main compound of galangal oil. Ginger is warm and round, galangal pointed and airy, so the two cannot replace each other even though they are in the same family.
The species on this page is Alpinia officinarum, lesser galangal, with small reddish-brown roots. The large, ivory, pink-tipped galangal sold at Vietnamese markets for braising fish is usually greater galangal, another species of the same genus. The two roots share one everyday name, and their smells are close but not identical.
- Plant part
- Rhizome
- Vietnamese name
- Riềng
- Scent family
- Spicy
- Plant family
- Zingiberaceae
- Lots published
- —
Published lots
No lots yet. When the first lot arrives, its GC/MS analysis will be published here — unedited, with the lot number printed on the bottle label.
Buy Galangal
This oil is in the catalogue but no lot has been brought in, so it is not on sale yet. Message us if you need it — what we stock next depends on what buyers ask for.
In the scent dictionary: Riềng — a description of the smell, the compounds behind it, and how to smell it for yourself.
Elsewhere in the catalogue
No lot of this oil yet. The oils below are close to it botanically or in how they are extracted — some of them already have lots.
Same plant family: Zingiberaceae Amomum · Cardamom · Ginger · Wild ginger · Zedoary (white turmeric)
Also from the rhizome Ginger · Spikenard · Turmeric · Wild ginger · Zedoary (white turmeric)
Same method: direct steam distillation Amomum · Angelica root · Camphor ct camphor · Ginger · Lemon eucalyptus · Lemongrass · Rosalina · Saro