Indian Medicinal Plants An Illustrated Dictionary

Zehneria umbellata Thw.
Synonym ◮ Melothria heterophylla
(Lour.) Cogn.
Solena heterophylla (Lour.) Cogn.
Family ◮ Cucurbitaceae.
Habitat ◮ Throughout India
ascending up to 2,100 m.
Siddha/Tamil ◮ Pulivanji.
Folk ◮ Tarali. Gometi (Maharashtra).
Banakakaraa (Punjab). Kudri
(Bengal).
Action ◮ Root—used for dysuria
and spermatorrhoea. Leaves—
topically applied to skin inflammation.
The seed contains linolenic and oleic
acids; the root gave columbin.
Zingiber cassumunar Roxb.
Synonym ◮ Z. montanum (Koen.)
Link ex. A. Dietr.
Z. purpureum Rosc.
Family ◮ Zingiberaceae.
Habitat ◮ Wild throughout India,
also cultivated in tropical parts of
India.
English ◮ Cassumunar Ginger.
Ayurvedic ◮ Vanardraka, Peja, Peyu,
Aardikaa, Shringaberikaa.
Folk ◮ Adarakhi, Bana-adarakhi.
Action ◮ Rhizome—carminative,
stimulant, antispasmodic. Used for
diarrhoea and colic.
The occurance of an active diastase
in the rhizome has been reported.
Zingiber officinale Rosc. 733
The enzyme resembles in its activity
with alpha-amylase of Aspergillus
oryzae. The rhizome gave an essential
oil consisting of terpinen-4-ol (about
35%); other constituents are alphaand
beta-pinene, sabinene, myrcene,
terpinene, limonene, p-cymene and
terpinolene. The fresh rhizomes contain
phenyl butenoic dimers, along
with cyclohexane derivatives. Hexane
extract of the rhizome contained
(E)-4-(3 ′ 4 ′ -dimethoxyphenyl)-but-3en-1-ol,
known as compound D. Compound
D showed antispasmodic effect
on guinea-pig ileum and tracheal
smooth muscle, also a dose-related
uterine relaxant effect in situ in nonpregnant
rats; in pregnant rats the response
varied with the period of pregnancy.
Aqueous extract of the rhizome
showed smooth muscle relaxant and
anti-inflammatory activity. Antioxidant
activity was found to be more
intense than that of known curcuminoid
antioxidants. It is attributed to
cassumunin A.
Zingiber officinale Rosc.
Family ◮ Zingiberaceae.
Habitat ◮ Native to Southeast Asia;
now cultivated mainly in Kerala,
Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
West Bengal, Maharashtra.
English ◮ Ginger.
Ayurvedic ◮ Fresh rhizome—
Aardraka, Aadrikaa, Shrngibera,
shrngavera, Katubhadra. Dried rhizome—Shunthi,
Naagara, Naagaraa,
Naagaraka, Aushadha, Mahaushad-
Z