Greater Galanga is the dried rhizome of a plant Alpenia galanga. This is a perennial, robust, tillering, rhizomatous herb. The plant is 1.8 to 2.1 mtrs high and bears perennial rhizome (2.5 to 10 cm thick), which are deep orange to brown in colour, aromatic, pungent and bitter. The pseudostem formed by the rolled leaf sheaths is erect, the inflorescence is terminal, many flowered. The fruits are about 13 mm long, constricted in the middle and contain 3 to 6 seeds. 
 
Indian name for Galanga:
Hindi : Kulanjan Sanskrit : Kulanjana Kannada : Rasmi Malayalam : Chittaratha,Kolingi Marathi : Koshtkulinjan Gujarati : Kolinjan
Foreign name for Galanga:
French : Galanga,Souchet long German : Galgant Indonesian : Laos Thai : Dok kha Vietnam : Rieng Dutch : Grote galanga English : Siamese ginger Arabic : Galangal Chinese : Gou leuhng geung