Pullei
Kingdom:
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Order:
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Family:
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Subfamily:
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Alpinioideae
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Tribe:
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Alpinieae
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Genus:
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Species:
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A.
nigra
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Alpinia nigra
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Description
A. nigra is a biennial herbaceous
plant. It is morphologically
characterized by the presence of a rhizome, simple, wide-brim leaves protected
by showy bracts, and terminal inflorescences. It has a soft, leafy stem about 1.5–3 m high. Leaves are sessile or
subsessile, elongated and pointed at the end. Its leaves are single cotyledons, shaped to look like a pike, about 7–9 cm wide, and about
20–40 cm long. The fruit is a berry having many seeds, and the pericarp is thin and green when it is young, becoming black and brittle when it
gets old.
Chemical constituents
The major chemical contents are alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols and terpenoids. The rhizome yields 0.05%
essential oil; of which the chief compounds are: 23.0% caryophyllene oxide,
19.9% geraniol, 19.4% eudesmool and 16.5%
citronellyl OAc. Important compounds isolated from the seed cluster are
kaempferol-3-O-glucoside (astragalin, I), kaempferol-3-O-glucuronide (II),
heptatriacontanoic acid 2, 3-dihydroxypropyl ester (III), heptatriacontanoic
acid 1, 3-dihydroxypropyl ester (IV) and pentatriacontanoic acid 1,
3-dihydroxypropyl ester (V). In addition, two major volatile oils, β-pinene and
α-pinene have also been isolated from the fruits and rhizomes. From the seed
clusters two bioactive flavone glycosides were isolated, astragalin and
kaempferol-3-O-glucuronide; and kaempferol-3-O-glucuronide was found to be a
dominant compound which was distributed primarily in the pulp. The chemical
1,8-cineole is the major component in the leaf essential oil (25.4%) and
rhizome oil (34%). In addition, β-pinene (15.1%), camphor (15.3%), carotol (7.3%), α-pinene (7.8%) and camphene (7.0%) were also present in leaf oil, whereas in the rhizome oil
α-fenchyl acetate (13.1%), α-terpineol (9.6%), β-pinene (8.1%) and camphene
(7.0%) were the other main constituents.
Uses
The rhizome is used as an aphrodisiac, tonic, diuretic, expectorant, appetizer and analgesic. It is also used in the
treatment of impotence and bronchitis.
In most tribal communities the root pounded and mixed with rice whisky is applied to skin for fungal infections, such as ringworm and melasma. The boiled green root is a potent carminative to reduce flatulence or dyspepsia. A root extract is taken thrice daily for the treatment of gastric ulcers, and taken twice daily for the treatment of jaundice by the Chakmas. Its use
as an antiinflammatory and
analgesic agent has been supported by experiments in mice.
