kaempferia galanga l. (zingiberaceae) commonly known as kacholam, kencur or aromatic ginger is an important medicinal plant of india which is extensively used in the preparation of both traditional and modern medicines. k. galanga germplasm collected from southern states of kerala and karnataka was evaluated for essential oil content and oil composition. volatile oil isolated from rhizomes of k. galanga l. by hydrodistillation was analyzed by gas chromatography (gc) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (gc/ms). thirty-eight aroma compounds were identified in the rhizome oil representing 96.4% to 98.9% of total oil. the two major compounds identified were trans-ethyl-p-methoxycinnamate (28.4-70.0%) and trans-ethyl cinnamate(11.5-26.6%) which constituted 50.3% to 84.8% of total oil. other important chemical compounds present were -3-carene (0.1-6.5%), 1,8-cineole (0.2-5.2%), borneol (1.0-2.4%), pentadecane (6.0-16.5%). trans-ethyl-p-methoxycinnamate and trans-ethyl cinnamate were found to be the most vital constituents responsible for most of the pharmacological properties of k. galanga plant. hence, the promising accessions identified in the study could be exploited for large-scale cultivation of this plant for obtaining higher yields of pharmacologically important constituents.