The essential oil from the rhizome of Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd.was extracted by hydrodistillation,and the chemical components were analyzed by GC-MS.The in vitro pharmacological activities of essential oil were evaluated by DPPH,ABTS,the inhibition zone,the broth microdilution and MTT methods,and so on.The results showed that the predominant components of the essential oil were 1,8-cineole (25.41%),β-bisabolene (6.24%),and β-sesquiphellandrene (9.08%).The essential oil revealed a certain ABTS radical-scavenging activity with the equivalents of ascorbic acid was 4.83 mg ACEs/g oil,and revealed a weak DPPH radical-scavenging activity.The essential oil exhibited a significant antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus,Bacillus subtilis,and Proteus vulgaris with the inhibition zones (9.81-14.95 mm),MIC (312.5-625 μg/mL),and MBC (625-1 250 μg/mL).The essential oil showed significant cytotoxicity against human leukemic (K562),lung cancer (A549),and prostatic carcinoma (PC-3) cell lines with the IC₅₀ values of 26.57,58.01 and 35.56 μg/mL,respectively.Compared with normal cells,there was a significant difference (P<0.05).The essential oil showed a certain enzyme inhibitory activity against tyrosinase,α-glucosidase,acetylcholinesterase,and butyrylcholinesterase with the equivalents of positive drugs were 71.88±2.33 mg AREs/g oil,0.25±0.002 mmoL ACEs/g oil,0.77±0.02 mg GALAEs/g oil,and 0.52±0.01 mg GALAEs/g oil,respectively.Therefore,the essential oil from rhizome of A. galanga has certain antioxidant activity,antibacterial activity,enzyme inhibition activity,and strong antitumor activity.The results can provide some data references for the further development and utilization of the essential oil from the rhizome of A. galanga.