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Botany
Luiang-usiu is a smooth, erect,
herbaceous plant. Rootstocks are large and tuberous, pale yellow
within. Leafy stem is 0.6 to 2 meters high. Leaves are numerous,
lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate, 15 to 30 cm long, 5 to 8 cm wide.
The flowering stem from the rootstock is 10-30 cm long, clothed
with long sheaths, at the apex of which is an ovoid, oblong,
or cylindric spike, red or green in color, 5 to 20 cm long. Bracts
are numerous, imbricate, orbicular, 2-3 cm long, greenish, merging
into red. Flowers are 5 cm long, white or cream colored. Tube
is as long as the bracts, with 3-lobed lips. Fruit is oblong,
about 2.5 cm long. Seeds are oblong, black, about 4 mm in diameter.
Distribution
In thickets and
near settlements, in low and medium altitudes, in most islands
and provinces.
A native of tropical Asia and is now pantropic.
Parts utilized
Rhizome.
Constituents
- Volatile oils of the rhizomes
contain zerumbone, humulene and camprene.
- Phytochemical screening of rhizomes also showed phenolic compounds,
tannins, amino acids and alkaloids.
- Studies have isolated bioactive compounds: humulene, monoterpenes, zerumbone from the essential oil.
- (Z)-nerolidol have been isolated from extracts of stems, leaves, and flowers.
- Ethanol extract has yielded sesquiterpene and zederone.
-
Aqueous extract has yielded phenolic compounds, saponins and terpenoids.
- Study isolated two aromatic compounds, p-hydroxybenzaldehyde and vanillin, and six kaempferol derivatives from the rhizomes.
Properties
Considered antihyperglycemic, antiinflammatory, antiulcer, antioxidant,
anti-platelet activating factor, antimicrobial.
Uses
 Edibility
Used as food flavoring and appetizer in various Malays' cuisines.
Folkloric
Powdered rhizomes used as perfume.
The fluid squeezed from the swollen ends of club-shaped stems is used
for shampoo.
Pulverized rhizome also used for diarrhea.
Rhizome is used like the common ginger, as a remedy for coughs, asthma,
parasitism, and variety of skin diseases.
In China, used for stomach aches, tonic
and stimulant.
Malays use the fresh rhizome for edema, stomach aches, sores. The juice of boiled rhizomes are used to treat worm infestation in children.
In Thailand, fresh rhizomes are used as antiflatulent.
In China, rhizomes macerated in alcohol are used as tonic, depurative, stimulant.
In Taiwan, plant used as antiinflammatory adjuvant for stomach pains, fever and sprains.
In India, rhizome powder mixed with Morinda citrifolia used for severe pain. Cooked and softened rhizome used for toothache, asthma, cough, worms, leprosy and other skin diseases.
In Hawaii, compressed rhizomes used for bruises and cuts and to treat headaches, toothaches, ringworm, joint sprains. The milky juice from the pine cones are used as shampoo.
In Southeast Asia, used for fever, toothache, loss of appetite, constipation
and pain.
Latino healers in NY use ZZ for uterine fibroids.
STUDIES
• Antipyretic / Analgesic: Anti-pyretic and Analgesic Activity of Zingiber
zerumbet: Study showed rhizome extracts of ZZ to have both analgesic
and antipyretic activities possibly through prostaglandin inhibition.
• Anti-Inflammatory / Antinociceptive: Study of the methanol extract of ZZ rhizomes showed anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive activities probably involving the inhibition of bradykinin-, prostaglandin-, histamine- and opioid-mediated processes.
• Antiinflammatory: (1) Anti-inflammatory
property of Ethanol and Water Extracts of Zingiber Zerumbet. Study showed
ZZ to contain a potent inhibitor of acute inflammation. (2) Study yielded
zerumbone and kaempferol pyranosides. Compounds 1 and 2 demonstrated
potent inhibition of NO production.
• Anti-tumor / Zerumbone: (1) Antitumor effects
of zerumbone from Zingiber zerumbet in P-388D1 cells in vitro and in
vivo: Study suggests zerumbone , an active principle of ZZ, is a potential
lead compound for the development of anticancer drugs. (2) Zerumbone was found to induce the apoptotic process in HepG2 cells through the up-and-down regulation of Bax/Bcl-2 protein independently of functional p53 activity.
• Immunomodulation: (1) Anti-hypersensitive
and anti-inflammatory activities of water extract of Zingiber zerumbet
(L.) Smith: Results show ZZ can be beneficial for asthmatic patients
through immunomodulation and cytokine production. (2) Study evaluted the immunomodulatory effects of zerumbone isolated from ZZ. Results showed zerumbone can be used as an immunomodulatory agent which can react toward the immune cell cytokine production in a dosage dependent pattern.
• Chemopreventive: A study
on the modifying effects of dietary feeding of zerumbone isolated from
ZZ showed zerumbone to have possible chemopreventive abilities through
expression of COX-2 expression, cell proliferating activity of colonic
mucosa and induction of detoxification enzymes in the development of
carcinogen-induced ACF.
• Antiproliferative: A study
showed ZZ extracts and fractions exhibitied antiproliferative effect
on human breast carcinoma cell lines.
• Anti-Asthma / Antiinflammatory: A study showed ZZ extracts have beneficial effects for the treatment
of asthmatic patients through its ability to inhibit synthesis of LTC4
and through immunomodulation of Th1/Th2 cytokine production.
• Essential Oils: A study
yielded 29 components in the leaf oil, the major components as zerumbone, a-caryophyllene and camphene. The rhizome oil yielded 30 components, the main ones being zerumbone, a-caryophyllene, 1,5,5,8-tetramethyl-12-oxabicyclo[9.1.0]dedeca-3,7-diene.
• Antiplatelet Aggregation: Methanol extract exhibited strong antiplatelet aggregation in human whole blood in vitro.
• Anthelmintic: In a comparative study, it was observed that Z. zerumbet showed better activity than C. maxima compared to the standard Albendazole. The study concludes the potential use of the ethanol extracts of both plants as anthelmintic against P. posthuma in an invitro model.
Availability
Wild-crafted. |
