Chemical constituents and biological activities of essential oils of Amomum genus (Zingiberaceae)

• Published in: Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine
• Main Author: Hong Thien Van
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2021
• Subjects: amomum; zingiberaceae; essential oil; bioactivity; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Allo; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.4103/2221-1691.331267; https://doaj.org/article/e2bd45e41b7e478b9fee66267f30b348

Amomum Roxb. includes the aromatic and medicinal plants native to tropical and subtropical Asia belonging to the family Zingiberaceae. Members of Amomum genus have been used for a long time in traditional medicine for the treatment of throat trouble, congestion of lungs, inflammation of eyelids, and digestive disorders, etc. Amomum essential oils have been studied for their chemical profiles in which limonene, allo-aromadendrene, 1,8-cineole, camphor, farnesyl acetate, α-pinene, β-pinene, caryophyllene, camphene, D-camphor, santolina triene, methyl chavicol, bornyl acetate, β-elemene, δ-3-carene, etc. were the major compounds. Furthermore, the oils extracted from Amomum plants have been reported to possess antimicrobial, antioxidant, insecticidal, larvicidal, cytotoxic, anti-scabies, and anti-inflammatory activities. This review focuses on the chemical constituents and biological activities of the essential oils isolated from the different plant parts of Amomum plants. The objective of the present review is to highlight therapeutic potentials and provide evidence for future medicinal applications of these species of genus Amomum.