chemical profiles of essential oils isolated from the rhizomes of two alpinia species, alpinia galanga (l.) willd. and alpinia officinarum hance from north east india, were analyzed by gas chromatography-flame ionization detection and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. major compounds identified in the oils of a. galanga and a. officinarum were 1,8-cineole (63.4 and 44.2%), -terpineol (2.8 and 6.3%), -pinene (1.9 and 2.0%), -pinene (0.8 and 5.7%), and terpinen-4-ol (2.8 and 4.5%), respectively. some additional compounds identified in a. officinarum oil were camphor (4.0%) and -fenchyl acetate (8.9%), while chavicol (0.9%), (e)--farnesene (8.4%), -sesquiphellandrene (2.6%), -bisabolene (0.3%), and eugenol acetate (3.3%) were present in a. galanga oil. 1,8-cineole is an important aromatic chemical reported to possess expectorant, antiseptic, and anesthetic properties and is used widely in pharmaceutical preparations. therefore, there is a promising possibility to utilize these plant species for industrial purpose.