What looks like Ginger but is not? It's the Galangal Root! Otherwise known as Asian Ginger or Alpina Galanga. Found in Southeast Asia is the best all-around cancer fighting herb! When applied topically can inhibit cancer cell growth (Murakami et al., 1996).
What Is Galangal?
This root originated in Indonesia, Thailand, and China, made its way into common Ayurvedic medicine. Many have described its flavor as earthy, citrusy, and spicy. However, unlike most spicy foods, galangal isn’t spicy due to capsaicin. It does not have a long-lasting burning sensation; instead, it hits you and goes away immediately.
Revolutionary Cancer Fighting Benefits
The most striking health benefit of galangal, suggested by a massive (and growing) body of scientific research, is its ability to fight and potentially prevent a broad number of cancers and tumors.
Numerous studies show extracts of this root can destroy cancer cells in:
☑ Melanoma (Chih-Yu Lo et al., Scientific World Journal, 2013)
Researchers at National Chiayi University in Taiwan studied the impact of three compounds from galangal root on human melanoma (skin cancer) cells. All three compounds had an “antiproliferative” effect, meaning they stopped the growth of new cells.
☑ Colon Cancer (Tae Kwun Ha et al., Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2013)
The first time galangal was studied against human colon cancer cells (in 2013), scientists found it caused apoptosis (cell death) on two types of colon cancer cells.
☑ Leukemia (Samson N Omoregie et al., Journal of Medicinal Food, 2013)
Acute monocytic leukemia cells, a fast-moving leukemia that begins in the bone marrow, were exposed to a liquid extract of galangal in an effort to find a natural cancer treatment that wouldn’t damage adjoining cells, like dangerous chemotherapy.
The researchers in Jamaica conducting the study indicate that this could be a potential cure for this form of leukemia, and that’s not a word scientists use lightly. However, this study was simply the beginning, as much more research must be done to examine the effects of this extract on healthy cells before testing it in living subjects.
☑ Breast Cancer (Saeed Samarghandian et al., BMC Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, 2014)
In 2014, an Iranian university detailed that an extract of galangal spawned apoptosis in the human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7, but did not harm healthy breast cells, MRC-5.
Diving more into the method by which galangal achieves this, a medical university study out of China shows that it used the TRAIL pathway of cancer treatment to stimulate cell death in breast cancer cells.
☑ Gastric Cancer (Mosa-Al-Reza Hadjzadeh et al., Iranian Journal of Cancer Prevention, 2014)
A 2014 study in Iran found that a liquid extract of galangal significantly destroyed the number of gastric cancer cells in a lab test after 48 hours, calling it a “prominent” result.
☑ Liver Cancer (Shang-Tao Chien et al., Cancer Cell International, 2015)
One reason cancer is so devastating to the human body has to do with the way it spreads or “metastasizes” to other organs from where it originates. This is especially true with liver cancer. A Taiwan study in 2015 investigating the impact of galangal extracted compounds on HepG2 cells (a type of liver cancer) found that the natural compounds decreased the instance of metastasis by stopping the cells from attaching to other, healthy cells.
In another study related to liver cancer, combination therapy was used with galangal and more common therapy agents, producing an apoptotic effect more significant than the individual therapies displayed.
☑ Pancreatic Cancer (Guang-Zhi Dong et al., Archives of Pharmacal Research, 2017)
A study released in 2017 tested multiple compounds from galangal in the lab and their impact on pancreatic cancer cells, finding that they stopped the growth of new cells and suppressed gene pathways responsible for expanding the cancer’s impact.
☑ Bile Duct Cancer (Asmare Amuamuta et al., BMC Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, 2017)
This particular form of cancer is not as common in the U.S., but it’s an aggressive cancer that infects the bile ducts connecting the liver to the small intestine. It impacts people more commonly in tropical and sub-tropical regions, especially Thailand.
The kaempferol rhizome extract from galangal tested in a 2017 Thailand-based study appeared to give mice subjects longer life spans, less incidence of metastasis and did not produce any noticeable side effects on the subjects.
Sources:
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25464007/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24027439/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23925650/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23819642/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24935101/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28282786/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25250165/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25698902/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24480522/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28258481/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28403856/