Plant atlas Short

Black Ginger: The Purple Rhizome Steeped in Rice Wine

Black Ginger (Krachai Dam) · กระชายดำ · Kaempferia parviflora

Black Ginger (Krachai Dam) — กระชายดำ (kra-chai-dam) — Kaempferia parviflora.

Slice this root and the inside is a deep, inky purple-black, carrying a peppery heat sharper than common ginger. It grows wild in Thailand's northern hills, where it's been prized for centuries as krachai dam. The part people use is that dark-colored root. In northern Thailand, black ginger is steeped in rice liquor as a men's stamina tonic, or dried into a dark, peppery tea. The human trials tested concentrated extracts, not this tea or liquor, and the reported performance and fat-loss effects were modest. Treat the drink as a traditional preparation, not a proven therapy.

Ya Dong Krachai Dam — ยาดองกระชายดำ (ya-dong-kra-chai-dam)
Nam Krachai Dam — น้ำกระชายดำ (nam-kra-chai-dam)

Source: Elderly physical-performance RCT — Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 2012; PMID:22899957. Athlete physical-fitness RCT — Med Sci Monit Basic Res 2015; PMID:25957542. Visceral-fat RCT — Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes 2018; PMID:30214264.

Educational content, not medical advice! Consult your doctor before changing diet or medication.

#LongevityBiome #ThaiHerbs #BlackGinger

Food and nutrients

Rich in: fiber

Research context

In trials, a concentrated black-ginger extract improved physical performance in older adults — Evid Based Complement Alternat Med, 2012

Related playlists

Watch on YouTube