Andaliman (Z. acanthopodium DC) is a kind of flowering plant that belongs to the Rutaceae family. The habitats are found in southwestern China (Guangxi, Guizhou, Sichuan, Tibet, and Yunnan), Bangladesh, Bhutan, northern India, and northeastern India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal), Nepal, Laos, Burma, Vietnam, North Sumatra highlands, Peninsular Malaysia, and northern Thailand. Andaliman is indigenous to North Sumatra, more specifically the Toba Samosir District, North Tapanuli, and the Dairi region. The phytochemical investigation showed some terpenoids as well as other compounds such as alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, tannins, and saponins, but they have not been entirely identified. In Indonesia, the plant is employed both in the culinary industry as an additive for flavoring food and in the traditional medical system for treating various diseases. It was reported to possess antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, and wound healing properties, alongside other activities related to pregnancy that were tested in vitro and in vivo. The results of the investigation were based on previously published studies. This review serves as information and a summary, thereby making further exploration of Andaliman to be easier.
Zingiber and Alpinia species (family: Zingiberaceae) are popularly used in food as spices and flavoring agents and in ethnomedicine to heal numerous diseases, including immune-related disorders. However, their ethnomedicinal uses have not been sufficiently supported by scientific investigations. Numerous studies on the modulating effects of plants and their bioactive compounds on the different steps of the immune system have been documented. This review aimed to highlight up-to-date research findings and critically analyze the modulatory effects and mechanisms of the extracts and secondary compounds of several Zingiber and Alpinia species, namely, Zingiber officinale Roscoe, Z. cassumunar Roxb., Z. zerumbet (L.) Roscoe ex Sm., Alpinia galanga Linn., A. conchigera Griff, A. katsumadai Hayata, A. oxyphylla Miq., A. officinarum Hance, A. zerumbet (Pers.) Burtt. et Smith, and A. purpurata (Viell.) K. Schum. on the immune system, particularly via the inflammation-related signaling pathways. The immunomodulating activities of the crude extracts of the plants have been reported, but the constituents contributing to the activities have mostly not been identified. Among the extracts, Z. officinale extracts were the most investigated for their in vitro, in vivo, and clinical effects on the immune system. Among the bioactive metabolites, 6-, 8-, and 10-gingerols, 6-shogaol, and zerumbone from Zingiber species and cardamomin, 1'-acetoxychavicol acetate, yakuchinone, rutin, 1,8-cineole, and lectin from Alpinia species have demonstrated strong immunomodulating effects. More experimental studies using cell and animal models of immune-related disorders are necessary to further understand the underlying mechanisms, together with elaborate preclinical pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, bioavailability, and toxicity studies. Many of these extracts and secondary metabolites are potential candidates for clinical development in immunomodulating agents or functional foods to prevent and treat chronic inflammatory disorders.