Are Alpinia Galanga and Curcuma Longa in the same botanical family?

Yes — both belong to Zingiberaceae.

Can you substitute Alpinia Galanga for Curcuma Longa?

They share the Zingiberaceae family, so they can sometimes substitute in recipes — with notable differences in aroma.

Compare · per-herb profile

Alpinia Galanga vs Curcuma Longa

Alpinia galanga · Curcuma longa

Alpinia Galanga

Alpinia galanga

T Traditional Use

Family: Zingiberaceae
Genus: Alpinia
Primary use: culinary & medicinal

Alpinia galanga, a plant in the ginger family, bears a rhizome used largely as an herb in Unani medicine and as a spice in Southeast Asian cookery. It is one of four plants known as "galangal". Its common names include greater galangal, lengkuas, and blue ginger.

Curcuma Longa

Curcuma longa

T Traditional Use

Family: Zingiberaceae
Genus: Curcuma
Primary use: culinary & medicinal

Turmeric, or Curcuma longa, is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between 20 and 30 °C and high annual rainfall to thrive. Plants ar…

At a glance

· Both in Zingiberaceae, but different genera (Alpinia vs Curcuma).
· Both are primarily both.
· Evidence tiers — Alpinia Galanga: T; Curcuma Longa: T.