ABSTRACT
Zin4giber zerumbet (L.) Roscoe ex Sm. is a monocotyledonous, rhizomatous plant that belongs to the family of Zingiberaceae. It is an aromatic plant and grows in all seasons. It belongs to the same family as Ginger (Zingiber officinale) and possesses similar properties. Traditional names of Z. zerumbet are asian ginger or bitter ginger (Koga et al., 2016). It is used as a natural shampoo due to the large amounts of surfactants in the plant’s inflorescence. Hence locally, it is called wild ginger or shampoo ginger (Yu et al., 2008). It grows naturally in damp, shady parts and also near water resources such as rivers and waterfalls (Koga et al., 2016). Since the cultivation costs are inexpensive, the cultivation is mostly carried out in sub-tropical and tropical regions (Baby et al., 2009; Al-Zubairi et al., 2010). It is also cultivated in South-East Asia and in rural areas of Mandus (Brazil) (Koga et al., 2016). Whole plant as well its parts are utilized for several purposes. The plant’s rhizome is abundantly used for medicinal and therapeutic purposes where it is 404used in treating diarrhea, inflammation, stomach aches, microbial infections, flatulence, poisoning, fever, and allergies (Tewtrakul and Subhadhirasakul, 2007). The rhizome macerated with alcohol is used as a stimulant, depurative, and tonic (Sakinah et al., 2007) and powdered rhizome in nursing of ear infection and toothache (Ghosh et al., 2011). The cone-shaped flowers are used for decorative purposes, and the buds have culinary use as vegetables (Sirirugsa, 1999; Devi et al., 2014). Z. zerumbet is also used as a seasoning and flavor agent in food. The plant Zingiber zerumbet is a source of a wide variety of bioactive compounds that are explored and found to possess various pharmacological properties (Singh et al., 2019).
