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Botany
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, 15-30 cm long, 5-8 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.
Parts utilized
Rhizome.
Constituents
and Properties
Volatile oils of the rhizomes
contain zerumbone, humulene and camprene.
Phytochemical screening of rhizomes also showed phenolic compounds,
tannins, amino acids and alkaloids.
Considered antihyperglycemic, antiinflammatory, antiulcer, antioxidant,
anti-platelet activating factor, antimicrobial.
Uses
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.
In Southeast Asia, used for fever, 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: 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.
• 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.
Availability
Wild-crafted. |
