Oxygen Trading

Kalady, Ernakulam, Kerala

he clove of commerce is the air-dried unopened flower bud obtained from evergreen medium sized tree. The tree grows to a height of 10-12 mtrs and start flowering in about 7 years. It continues to produce flower buds for 80 or more years. It is a valuable spice of the orient. Clove clusters are plucked by hand when the buds are fully developed with a pronounced pink flush and then dried over several days in the sun. Unopened flower buds, leaves and stalks yield essential oil.

The use of clove in whole or ground form is mainly for culinary purposes and as a flavouring agent in food industry. Its flavour blends well with both sweet and savory dishes. It is highly valued in medicine as carminative, aromatic and stimulant. In Indonesia, the lion share of production is consumed in production of ‘kretek’ cigarettes. The antiseptic and antibiotic properties of clove oil are used in medicine especially in dentistry, oral and pharyngeal treatments. It has wider applications in preparations of toothpaste and mouthwashes, soaps and perfumes. It is also reported to help diabetics in sugar assimilations.

Hindi : Laung Bengali : Lawang Gujarati : Lavang Kannada : Lavanga Malayalam : Grambu Marathi : Luvang Oriya : Labang Punjabi : Laung Sanskrit : Lavanga Tamil : Kirambu, Lavangam Telugu : Lavangalu Urdu : Laung

Arabic : Kabsh , Qarunfil Chinese : Ding xiang French : Clou de girofle Indonesian : Cengkeh German : Nelke

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. 

ORIGIN AND DISTRIBUTION

Greater Galanga is a native of Indonesia and is currently cultivated in all South East Asian countries, India, Bangladesh, China and Surinam. The plant requires sunny or moderately shady locations with fertile moist soil preferably sandy or clayey, rich in organic matter with good drainage. In tropics the plant occurs up to an altitude of 1200 mtrs.

USES

The rhizomes have many applications in traditional medicines such as for skin diseases, indigestion, colic, dysentery, enlarged spleen, respiratory diseases, mouth and stomach cancer. Rhizomes show anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-protozoal, and expectorant activities. Young rhizome is a spice used to flavour various dishes in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and China.

INDIAN NAME OF SPICES

Hindi : Kulanjan Sanskrit : Kulanjana Kannada : Rasmi Malayalam : Chittaratha, Kolingi Marathi : Koshtkulinjan Gujarati : Kolinjan

FOREIGN NAME OF SPICES

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