Maraba

At a glance

Origin / distribution: Java, Malaya, China, Asia, Sanscrit, Philippines, India, Malaysia

Cultural traditions: not documented

Recorded uses: Abdomen, Cancer, Carminative, Cough

Science studied: ETHYL-CINNAMATE, ETHYL-P-METHOXYCINNAMATE, N-PENTADECANE, CARENE

Research volume: 0 indexed records · volume only · methodology ↗

Legal status: Varies by jurisdiction; not assessed in this record.

Names and identity

Family: Zingiberaceae

Scientific name: Kaempferia galanga

Common names: Maraba, Galanga, Aromatic Ginger, Cekuh, Cutcherry, Kencur, Kentjoer, Resurrection Lily, Sand Ginger, aromatic ginger, cananga-do-japão, chandramula, chekur, galanga, galangal, gengibre-da-areia, guineangalangali, indische Gewürzlilie

POWO: 797160-1 · WCVP June 2026 / POWO backbone

History

The source record documents this plant in Java, Malaya, China, Asia, Elsewhere, Sanscrit, Philippines, India and 1 additional place.

It records these historical or traditional applications:

• Abdomen
• Cancer
• Carminative
• Cough
• Dandruff
• Diuretic
• Expectorant
• Fever

This summary is limited to the cited source record.

Origins and distribution

• Java
• Malaya
• China
• Asia
• Elsewhere
• Sanscrit
• Philippines
• India
• Malaysia

Documented cultural uses

• Abdomen
• Cancer
• Carminative
• Cough
• Dandruff
• Diuretic
• Expectorant
• Fever
• Repellant(Insect)
• Malaria
• Mastitis
• Odontalgia

Cultural record detail

These entries are transcribed from the cited ethnobotanical source; they do not represent current advice or a claim of efficacy.

• Abdomen · Java · "
• Cancer · Malaya · "
• Carminative · China · "
• Cough · Malaya · "
• Dandruff · Asia · "
• Dandruff · China · "
• Diuretic · Elsewhere · "
• Diuretic · China · "
• Expectorant · Sanscrit · "
• Expectorant · Elsewhere · "
• Fever · Malaya · "
• Fever · Elsewhere · "
• Repellant(Insect) · China · "
• Malaria · Philippines · "
• Mastitis · Malaya · "
• Odontalgia · China · "
• Ophthalmia · Malaya · "
• Otosis · Java · "
• Pediculicide · India · "
• Pediculicide · China · "
• Perfume · China · "
• Rheumatism · Malaya · "
• Rheumatism · Elsewhere · "
• Scabies · China · "

17 additional documented entries remain in the source record.

Contemporary uses

Contemporary practice is not documented separately in this record.

Scientific research

Indexed records indicate research activity; they do not establish efficacy or safety.

Indexed research records

• Six unusual monoterpene-phenylpropanoid [2 + 3] cycloadducts from Kaempferia galanga with anti-inflammatory activity. · 2026 source ↗
• <i>Kaempferia galanga</i> cream accelerates wound healing through modulation of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-10 in an excision wound model. · 2026 source ↗
• Molecular characterization of a proposed novel macluravirus identified in sand ginger (Kaempferia galanga). · 2025 source ↗

Scientific compounds

Chemical presence is not evidence of clinical efficacy.

• ETHYL-CINNAMATE
• ETHYL-P-METHOXYCINNAMATE
• N-PENTADECANE
• CARENE
• P-METHOXYSTYRENE
• BORNEOL
• CAMPHENE
• P-METHOXYCINNAMIC-ACID-ETHYL-ESTER

Legality

No exact international trade listing was returned by the CITES checklist for this accepted name. Country-specific law is not assessed here.

Consult the CITES species checklist for current international and national requirements.

Reference images

Sources

Plants of the World Online (POWO) · Kew data terms; cite POWO/WCVP

World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) · CC BY 3.0

CC0 · Dr. Duke raw CSV archive

Contributions and revisions

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