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    Botanical guide · Ingredient reference

    Sand ginger is Kaempferia galanga, a distinct aromatic spice

    Sand ginger, also called cekur or kencur, belongs to the ginger family but is not ordinary culinary ginger. Its leaves and rhizomes have documented food uses.

    Read the evidence ↓

    Supplement Science Insights Editorial Team

    Published September 23, 2026

    Use the botanical name to avoid confusion

    NParks identifies sand ginger as Kaempferia galanga. Common names can be shared across related plants, so the botanical identity is useful when buying a plant or a dried spice. It should not be confused with Zingiber officinale merely because both names contain ginger. [1][2]

    The plant has more than one culinary part

    NParks describes edible leaves used raw or in soups and rhizomes used to flavor sauces and curries in Malaysian and Indonesian cooking. These are food-use descriptions. They do not establish that a supplement extract treats a disease or that an unidentified ornamental ginger can be eaten safely. [1]

    Treat substitution as a flavor change

    Imagine a recipe specifies kencur but the shop supplies ordinary ginger. Replacing it changes the aromatic ingredient rather than simply changing brands. Confirm the name with a knowledgeable supplier and use a food-grade ingredient. A gardening plant with an uncertain identity or treatment history is a different purchase from a culinary spice. [1]

    Hypothetical example — compare kitchen choices without treating them as medical doses
    ChoicePractical interpretation
    Kaempferia galangaSand ginger or kencur
    Zingiber officinaleOrdinary culinary ginger
    Same familyDoes not mean identical flavor or use
    Sand ginger is Kaempferia galanga, a distinct aromatic spice — original article outline diagram
    Original editorial diagram of this article’s sections; no product photograph or clinical finding is depicted.

    Sources for this article

    1. Sand Ginger | GardeningSG
      Source consulted: 2026-09-20. This is a reference resource, not a claim that we conducted the studies or tested a product.
    2. Zingiber officinale Roscoe | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science
      Source consulted: 2026-09-20. This is a reference resource, not a claim that we conducted the studies or tested a product.