Family Zingiberaceae.
Habitat Eastern Himalayas, Assam,
Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, up to
1,500 m, and western Ghats of
Kerala.
Folk Saliyeridumpa (Tamil).
Action Rhizome—employed to cure sores. Fruits—emetic (used with salt).
The rhizomes yield essential oil consisting of methyl cinnamate as chief constituent.
Alpinia off icinarum Hance
Family Zingiberaceae.
Habitat Native to China; cultivated in northern India.
English Lesser Galangal, Alpinia, Catarrh Root, Chinese Ginger.
38 Alpinia speciosa (Wendi.) K.Schum.
Ayurvedic Kulanjan (var.).
Unani Khulanjaan (smaller var.).
Siddha/Tamil Chitrarattai.
Action Rhizome—a circulatory stimulant and carminative.
Key application As a carminative.
(The British Herbal Pharmacopoeia.)
Aqueous and methanolic extracts of the rhizome, on oral administration, exhibited significant decrease in gastric secretion in rabbits and showed anticholinergic effect in pylorus-ligated rats.
Flavones from rhizomes are strongly antifungal against a wide variety of pathogenic fungi, responsible for major skin diseases in eastern India. Flavones were also found to be active against a number of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria.
The gingerols and diaryheptanoids constituents of the rhizome are potent inhibitors of PG synthetase (prostaglandin biosynthesizing enzyme); they can also be active against 5-lipoxyge- nase, an enzyme involved in leukotriene biosynthesis. (Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, 2007.)
Alpinia speciosa
(Wendl.) K.Schum.
Synonym A. Zerumbet Burtt and R.M. Smith
Family Zingiberaceae.
