Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe

DeFilipps, Robert A. & Krupnick, Gary A., 2018, The medicinal plants of Myanmar, PhytoKeys 102, pp. 1-341 : 169

Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe

Names.

Myanmar: sa-nwin. English: long zedoary, zedoary, round zedoary.

Range.

From the Himalayas to Chittagong south into Indonesia, especially northeastern India; cultivated elsewhere. Cultivated in Myanmar.

Uses.

Stem (Rhizome): Used as tonic for the heart; also used as mouthwash.

Notes.

"The rhizome is official in many pharmacopeias. Everywhere it is regarded as a stomachic and carminative." In China it is used as a tonic nutrient and a resolvent of swellings and contusions; it is also used to dissolve blood clots, promote circulation, and to reduce abdominal pain. In Taiwan it is used to treat heart complaints, cholera, gonorrhea, irregular menstruation, and snakebites. In Indo-China it is used as a tonic. In the Philippines, ash from the rhizome is applied to wounds and ulcers ( Perry 1980).

The medicinal use of this species in India is discussed in Jain and DeFilipps (1991). Here the rhizome is crushed and mixed with water for making a bath to treat jaundice. Medicinal uses of this species in China are discussed in Duke and Ayensu (1985).

Reported constituents are volatile oil, cineole, camphene, zingiberene, borneol, camphor, curcumin, zedoarin, gum, resin, and starch ( Perry 1980).

Reference.

Nordal (1963).