Bangle (Zingeber cassumunar) rhizomes

Descrizione

Scientific name: Zingeber cassumunar

FAMILY: Zingeberaceae

Common name: Bangle, Bengle (Indonesia), Plai, Phlai (Thailand), Bulei (China).

Origin of harvest and distilling: Indonesia

PORTION: Rhizomes

The plant also contains the essential oils sabinene 31–48%, terpineol 4–30%, and apparently unique curcuminoid antioxidants, namely cassumunarin types A, B, and C.

Zingiber cassumunar Roxb. belongs to the family Zingiberaceae and is an herbaceous and perennial plant consisting of an underground part consisting of rhizomes. In Thailand, Indonesia, and other Asian countries, Z. cassumunar has traditionally been used as a medicinal plant in folk remedies for the treatment of various illness, such as inflammation, including arthritis, rheumatisms, sprains, respiratory problems such as asthma and cough, and pain caused by musculoskeletal, menstrual, or gastrointestinal disorders. Several types of compounds in Z. cassumunar have been identified such as phenylbutenoids, curcuminoids, sesquiterpenoids, benzaldehydes, quinones, and essential oils containing monoterpenoids.

Phenylbutenoids are characteristic compounds of this plant and have been isolated using various isolation technics, including silica gel or reverse phase column chromatography , recrystallization, preparative thin-layer chromatography, countercurrent chromatography, and preparative high-performance liquid chromatography . Other constituents include curcuminoids, including a high content of curcumin as a yellow pigment in the rhizome, two quinones, phenolic compounds, and sesquiterpenoids such as (−)-β-sesquiphellandrene and zerumbone.

The essential oils included sabinene and terpinen-4-ol as major volatile terpenes. The extracts and constituents of Z. cassumunar have diverse bioactivities, including antioxidant , anti-inflammatory, anticancer , neuroprotective/neurotrophic, cosmeceutical, and antifungal/antibacterialactivities. Although there has been a review of the clinical effects of various formulations using Plai (Z. cassumunar) on were pain relief, acne treatment, and antihistamine, there has been no previous report summarizing the accumulated studies in the literature on the phytochemicals and in vitro and in vivo biological properties of Z. cassumunar, including our previous studies that have contributed to discovering the chemical diversity and biological activities of this plant.