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Plants of the Genus Zingiber as a Source of Bioactive Phytochemicals: From Tradition to Pharmacy

Sharifi-Rad M 1 , Varoni EM 2 , Salehi B 3 , Sharifi-Rad J 4 , Matthews KR 5 , Ayatollahi SA 6 Show all authors , Kobarfard F 7 , Ibrahim SA 8 , Mnayer D 9 , Zakaria ZA 10 , Sharifi-Rad M 11 , Yousaf Z 12 , Iriti M 13 , Basile A 14 , Rigano D 15

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Medical Parasitology, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol 61663335, Iran. mehdi_sharifirad@yahoo.com
  • 2 Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, Milan State University, 20133 Milan, Italy. elena.varoni@unimi.it
  • 3 Zabol Medicinal Plants Research Center, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol 61615585, Iran. bahar.salehi007@gmail.com
  • 4 Phytochemistry Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 11369, Iran. javad.sharifirad@gmail.com
  • 5 Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. bijan@sebs.rutgers.edu
  • 6 Phytochemistry Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 11369, Iran. majid_ayatollahi@yahoo.com
  • 7 Phytochemistry Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 11369, Iran. farzadkf@yahoo.com
  • 8 Food Microbiology and Biotechnology Laboratory, 171 Carver Hall, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA. ibrah001@ncat.edu
  • 9 Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine, Lebanese University, Dekwaneh, Beirut 6573, Lebanon. d_mnayer@yahoo.fr
  • 10 Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia. dr_zaz@yahoo.com
  • 11 Department of Range and Watershed Management, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Zabol, Zabol 98615538, Iran. majid.sharifirad@gmail.com
  • 12 Department of Botany, Lahore College for Women University, Jail Road Lahore 54000, Pakistan. mussabuswaeshal@hotmail.com
  • 13 Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Milan State University, 20133 Milan, Italy. marcello.iriti@unimi.it
  • 14 Department of Biological Sciences-Plant Biology Section, University of Naples "Federico II", 80126 Naples, Italy. adbasile@unina.it
  • 15 Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy. drigano@unina.it
Molecules, 2017 Dec 04;22(12).
PMID: 29207520 DOI: 10.3390/molecules22122145

Abstract

Plants of the genus Zingiber (Family Zingiberaceae) are widely used throughout the world as food and medicinal plants. They represent very popular herbal remedies in various traditional healing systems; in particular, rhizome of Zingiber spp. plants has a long history of ethnobotanical uses because of a plethora of curative properties. Antimicrobial activity of rhizome essential oil has been extensively confirmed in vitro and attributed to its chemical components, mainly consisting of monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons such as α-zingiberene, ar-curcumene, β-bisabolene and β-sesquiphellandrene. In addition, gingerols have been identified as the major active components in the fresh rhizome, whereas shogaols, dehydrated gingerol derivatives, are the predominant pungent constituents in dried rhizome. Zingiber spp. may thus represent a promising and innovative source of natural alternatives to chemical food preservatives. This approach would meet the increasing concern of consumers aware of the potential health risks associated with the conventional antimicrobial agents in food. This narrative review aims at providing a literature overview on Zingiber spp. plants, their cultivation, traditional uses, phytochemical constituents and biological activities.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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