The essential oils from fresh and dried rhizomes of galanga (Alpinia officinarum Hance) were obtained by hydro-distillation, and fractionated to the hydrocarbon and oxygenated compound fractions by silica gel column chromatography. Twenty-eight hydrocarbons and 29 oxygenated compounds were identified by gas chromatographic (Kovat’s index) and mass spectrometric data. In the fresh rhizome, the main components (over 1.0% in content) were 1,8-cineole (50.0%), exo-2-hydroxy-1,8-cineole acetate (11.2%), β-caryophyllene (6.4%), α- and β-pinenes (1.7 and 2.6 %), β-bisabolene (2.6%), chavicol (2.0%), limonene (2.0%), 4-terpineol (1.6%), chavicol acetate (1.2%), and methyl eugenol (1.0%). On drying the rhizome, the monoterpene fraction (including hydrocarbon and oxygenated compounds) de-creased in content, and the sesquiterpene and aromatic compound fractions increased. Major components of the oil from dried rhizome (over 2.0% in content) were β-bisabolene (9.6%), 1,8-cineole (8.2%), chavicol acetate (5.9%), chavicol (5.3%), eugenyl acetate (3.7%), α-farnesene (3.3%), methyl eugenol (3.3%), β-caryophyllene (2.9%), α-bisabolol (2.6%), spathulenol (2.5%), farnesyl acetate (2.4%), 4-hydroxycinnamyl acetate (2.3%).