Galangal is a yellow to olive brown liquid that is steam distilled from the dried comminuted rhizomes of the plant. Galangal is the dried root of the plant which found mainly in eastern Himalayas and south west India. It is used as a spice and has wide usage in various medicinal preparations. Ginger is commonly used for many types of nausea and vomiting. It's also used for menstrual cramps, osteoarthritis, diabetes, migraine headaches, and other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support many of these uses. In foods and beverages, ginger is used as a flavoring agent.

It has been used as an aphrodisiac. In cooking it is considered to be like ginger, but with some cardamon qualities. Medically used for cholera, congestion, digestion and skin problems. In magic it was used to create protection and safety. Ginger is a plant used in traditional medicine against different diseases because of its various properties (antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticoagulant, etc.). Ginger is “generally recognized as safe” by the Food and Drug Administration. Numerous studies have been carried out to characterize and isolate its main bioactive compounds to elucidate the mechanisms of its antimicrobial activity against pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms in foods. Results indicate that ginger contains monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids, phenolic compounds, and its derivatives, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, esters, which provide a broad antimicrobial spectrum against different microorganisms and make it an interesting alternative to synthetic antimicrobials. However, its application in foods has been scarcely explored and represents an opportunity area for further research.