Foods that show positive effects on health beyond basic nutrition are called functional foods of which familiar examples are propolis and Alpinia officinarum. Galangin (3,4,5-trihydroxyflavonol) is a major component in these and is considered as the principal bioactive ingredient. The aim of this review is to consolidate the evidence-based information on galangin’s biological activities and associated molecular mechanisms, accumulated in databases (Google Scholar, Pubmed, Scopus, Science Direct and Web of Science) up to December 2017. Galangin showed promising activities in the amelioration of inflammation, tumours, oxidative stress, arthritis, microbial infections, obesity, diabetes, neuronal damage, cardiovascular, liver and urinary bladder disorders. It is metabolically unstable and its efficacy in animal models is not well studied. As evidenced from the literature, galangin has great potential as functional food ingredient, provided further, animal and clinical investigations to be carried out to establish molecular mechanisms, pharmacokinetics, and safety profile.

在基本营养之外对健康有积极影响的食品被称为功能性食品，其中常见的例子有蜂胶和高良姜。。高良姜精（3,4,5-三羟基黄酮醇）是其中的主要成分，被认为是主要的生物活性成分。这篇综述的目的是整合截至2017年12月在数据库（Google Scholar，Pubmed，Scopus，Science Direct和Web of Science）中积累的有关高良姜素生物活性和相关分子机制的循证信息。改善炎症，肿瘤，氧化应激，关节炎，微生物感染，肥胖症，糖尿病，神经元损害，心血管，肝脏和膀胱疾病。它在代谢上不稳定，其在动物模型中的功效尚未得到很好的研究。从文献中可以看出，高良姜素作为功能性食品成分具有巨大潜力，