I was initially interested in this stuff for its delicious-sounding flavour. It has pale yellow finger-like tubers which are eaten raw and cooked, and often added to soups and curries for its aromatic, spicy flavour. Sounds easy enough to grow in the right climate, too. Info: http://greenharvest.com.au/Plants/Information/Krachai.html Then I saw this: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaempferia_galanga It has many amazing properties including potential as a sunscreen, killing roundworms in dogs, and inhibition of the Epstein-Barr virus. It could be quite a good insect repellant, apparently. Then I saw that the sap also has hallucinogenic properties, due to an 'unknown' alkaloid. It is a CNS depressant. Does anyone have thoughts about what the likely mechanism of action / alkaloid could be in this plant?