Botanical name : Zingiber zerumbet Rosc. ex.Sm. (Z. spurium Koen.
Amomum spurium Gmel. A. sylvestre Poir.)
Family : Zingiberaceae
SANSKRIT SYNONYMS
Stoolagrandhi, Sthulagandhi, Mahabhari vacha.
AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES
Rasa : Katu
Guna : Guru, Rooksha,
Virya : Ushna
Vipaka : Madhura
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English : Zerumbet Ginger, Shampoo ginger.
Hindi : Vanardrak
Malayalam : Kolinji
Distribution – Throughout India, growing wild as well as cultivated.
PLANT DESCRIPTION
A perennial, ginger like shrub grows up to 1.2 meters in height. Leaves simple, alternate, arranged in thin upright stem. Among the leafy stems the conical or club-shaped flower heads burst forth on separate and shorter stalks. The flower heads are reddish-green 3-10 cm long with overlapping scales, enclosing small yellowish-white flowers that poke out a few at a time. As the flower heads mature, they gradually fill with an aromatic, slimy liquid and turn a brighter red color. Reproduction is mainly vegetative with spreading underground rhizomes.
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant pacifies vitiated kapha, pitta, cough, bronchitis, asthma, intestinal colic, intestinal worms, infections and skin diseases.
Useful part : Rhizome.
CHEMICAL CONTENTS
The rhizome contains several flavonoid glycosides and curcumin. The oil of Zerumbet contains about 13% monoterpenes and several sesquiterpenes of which humulene and
zerumbone are major constituents. The major constituent of monoterpenes is camphene. Unlike the oil of Z. officinale, Zerumbet oil does not contain any methyl heptanone; instead, it contains camphor. Zerumbone inhibits the growth of Micrococcus pyogenes var. aureus and Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Indian samples contain only 37.5% of zerumbone, while those from Fiji 58.7, Vietnam 72.3 and Tahiti 65.3%.
Photo : Dr. Eby Abraham MD
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