Chemical Composition, Antioxidant and Myorelaxant Activity of Essential Oil of Hedychium aurantiacum

摘要

Family Zingiberaceae is worldwide in distribution. Plants of this family are used in traditional system of medicine as herbal folk medicine besides its uses in spices, cosmetic, ornamental, food preservatives etc. In Uttarakhand the herbs grow from sub-tropical to temperate region. In present study we worked on Hedychium aurantiacum. The composition of essential oil from the rhizomes of Hedychium aurantiacum was examined by GC and GC-MS techniques. Twenty two constituents representing 97.25 %. 96.97 % of the oil consisted of monoterpenoids. Sesquiterpenoids were presented only in trace quantities. Linalool (83.01 %) is the major component of the oil. The other major constituents present in the oil are limonene (4.81 %), α-terpinene (2.69 %), cis-linalool oxide (1.53 %) and trans-linalool oxide (1.55 %). The oil showed significant effect significant effect on duodenum smooth muscles of wistar rats and the antioxidant activity of the oil was tested using three different methods viz. Reducing power assay, 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and effect on of Fe~(2+) chelating activity. The essential oil of Hedychium aurantiacum showed reducing power activity, 2'2'-diphenyl picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and chelating activity of Fe~(2+) ions in dose dependent manner but significantly less compared to the standards butylated hydroxyl toluene, gallic acid and catechin.