The essential oil of greater galanga (Alpinia galanga) from Malaysia

The essential oil of A. galanga, a common spice in Malaysia, was prepared from fresh and dried rhizomes and analysed by means of capillary GC and GC/MS. Forty components were identified (only three of which were previously reported), accounting for 83–93% of the oil, depending on its method of preparation. Apart from monoterpenes, monoterpene alcohols and esters, and sesquiterpenes, also methyleugenol, eugenol acetate, chavicol (4-allylphenol) and chavicol acetate were present. This is the first time the latter substance has been reported in nature. Standardization of GC is proposed and tentatively applied towards a more systematic use of the Kováts indices as an aid in the identification of the constituents of essential oils.