Glass specimen jar, lidded, containing galangal, rhizomes from India, in English jar, 1871-1930

Galangal roots (shown on the right) are used in herbal medicine to help digestion and breathing problems. Galangal is a herb originally from China. It has a gingery, peppery taste and is often used in cooking. The jar is English and the sample was probably collected by people exploring medical, social and cultural traditions in India. The seeds are shown here with cinnamon bark, (A669500), also used in herbal medicine.