Sand Ginger vs Real Ginger: Investigating the composition of Kaempferia Galanga

Sum Ki Kelsie Ling; Sharon Barden; Paul Mayer

doi:10.18192/osurj.v5i1.7608

Sand Ginger vs Real Ginger: Investigating the composition of Kaempferia Galanga

Authors

Sum Ki Kelsie Ling University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Sharon Barden University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
Paul Mayer University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18192/osurj.v5i1.7608

Abstract

The aromatic rhizome Kaempferia Galanga, also known as sand ginger, has traditionally been used to relieve cough, inflammation and high blood pressure. This study aims to determine an optimal extraction method and ascertain the composition of commercially available Kaempferia Galanga powder. The extraction efficiencies for acetonitrile maceration extraction, microwave hydrodistillation, and supercritical-CO₂ (sc-CO₂) extraction are compared, with a focus on the target bioactive compounds ethyl cinnamate and ethyl p-methoxycinnamate. The results showed that the main essential oil components ethyl cinnamate, n-pentadecane, and ethyl p-methoxy cinnamate are present in the extracts of store-bought sand ginger powder. Acetonitrile maceration and sc-CO₂ extractions have similar composition, with the three main compounds extracted alongside long-chain fatty acids and terpenoids such as cyperene and germacrene–D. On the other hand, microwave hydrodistillation, followed by solid-phase extraction, produced a profile containing mainly ethyl cinnamate and ethyl p-methoxycinnamate with minimal co-extracted impurities. Processing 500 ml of hydrosol through solid-phase extraction yielded 48.3 mg of extract containing the two main bioactive compounds. Final derived concentrations for ethyl cinnamate, n-pentadecane, and ethyl p-methoxy cinnamate were 0.43-0.45, 0.24-0.26, and 8.7-8.9 mg/g (acetonitrile extract); 7.1, nil, and 16.3–16.4 mg/L (hydrosol); and 2.9%, 1.5%, and 92.9% (sc-CO₂).

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Published

2026-06-17

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 1 (2026)

Section

Original Research

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