Comparison of the Composition of the Essential Oils of Alpinia and Hedychium Species-Essential Oils of Fijian Plants, Part 1

• Published in: The Journal of essential oil research 2002-11, Vol.14 (6), p.409-411
• Main Authors: Ali, Sadaquat, Sotheeswaran, Subramaniam, Tuiwawa, Marika, Smith, Roger M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 1,8-cineole; Alpinia purpurata; Alpinia zerumbert; camphene; caryophyllene oxide; essential oil composition; Hedychium coronarium; Hedychium gardnerianum; linalool; terpinen-4-ol; Zingiberaceae; α-pinene; β-caryophyllene; β-pinene
• ISSN: 1041-2905; 2163-8152
• DOI: 10.1080/10412905.2002.9699904

The essential oils of the leaves, flowers and rhizomes of Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.), A. purpurata (Viell.), Hedychium coronarium König, and H. gardnerianum Lindl. species growing wild in Fiji were obtained by steam distillation and analyzed by GC/MS. The rhizome and leaf oils of A. zerumbet were found to be rich in β-pinene (4.0%, 10.0%), 1,8-cineole (28.1%, 13.2%) and terpinen-4-ol (41.4%, 40.9%), respectively. The rhizome oils of A. purpurata contained α-pinene (24.9-36.1%) and β-pinene (65.8-71.3%), while the leaf and flower oils of the same species contained α-pinene (79.6-81.0%), β-pinene (29.4-43.0%) and β-caryophyllene (0-24.2%), respectively. The rhizome and leaf oils of H. coronarium were rich in α-pinene (10.6%, 20.9%), β-pinene (31.4%, 53.6%), 1,8-cineole (55.9%, 11.9%) and β-caryophyllene (0%, 17.7%), respectively. The rhizome oils of H. gardnerianum were rich in α-pinene (10.4-11.0%), β-pinene (31.0-32.1%), 1,8-cineole (27-29.5%) and linalool (22.6-28.1%). The leaf and flower oils contained α-pinene (18.4%, 6.6%), camphene (23.7%, 17.4%), β-pinene (22.1%, 17.0%), linalool, (13.1%, 4.6%) β-caryophyllene (7.7%, 17.4%) and caryophyllene oxide (0%, 10.5%), respectively.