This article was downloaded by: [Northeastern University]

On: 28 December 2014, At: 11:23

Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer
House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Journal of Essential Oil Research

Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:
http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tjeo20

Constituents of the Rhizome Oil of Hedychium

cylindricum Ridl.
a b b
Fasihuddin bin Ahmad , Ibrahim bin Jantan & Juriyati Jalil
a
Faculty of Resource Science and Technology , University Malaysia Sarawak , 94300,
Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
b
Department of Pharmacy , Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia , Jalan Raja Muda Abdul
Aziz, 50300, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Published online: 28 Nov 2011.

To cite this article: Fasihuddin bin Ahmad , Ibrahim bin Jantan & Juriyati Jalil (2004) Constituents of the Rhizome Oil of
Hedychium cylindricum Ridl., Journal of Essential Oil Research, 16:4, 299-301, DOI: 10.1080/10412905.2004.9698726

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10412905.2004.9698726

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained
in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no
representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of
the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors,
and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied
upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall
not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other
liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or
arising out of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic
reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any
form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://
www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
 Hedychium
J. Essent. Oil cylindricum
Res., 16, 299-301 (July/August 2004)

Constituents of the Rhizome Oil of Hedychium

cylindricum Ridl.

Fasihuddin bin Ahmad

Faculty of Resource Science and Technology, University Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
Ibrahim bin Jantan* and Juriyati Jalil
Department of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract
The chemical composition of the rhizome oil of Hedychium cylindricum Ridl. was determined by GC retention
Downloaded by [Northeastern University] at 11:23 28 December 2014

indices (on two columns of different polarity) and GC/MS. Forty-nine compounds were identified with monoterpernoids
accounting for more than 88% of the oil. The major constituents of the oil were terpinen-4-ol (40.5%), sabinene
(9.9%), p-cymene (8.5%), limonene (6.0%), β-pinene (5.6%), γ-terpinene (4.5%), and α-terpineol (2.2%).

Key Word Index

Hedychium cylindricum, Zingiberaceae, essential oil composition, terpinen-4-ol.

Introduction
Hedychium cylindricum Ridl., Zingiberaceae, is a rhi-
zomatous herb that grows wild on Borneo Island. It is usually
about 0.9-1 m high and is found on rocks and fallen logs along
river banks (1). The leaves are glabrous while the fruits are
dehisced and orange in color within, and the rhizomes are
fleshy and very aromatic. In Sabah, Malaysia, the ground
rhizome is used in traditional medicine as a febrifuge, anti-
rheumatic, tonic and also as a treatment for wounds and skin
diseases (2).
Chemical studies of the oils of some Hedychium species
have been reported (3-8). The rhizome oils of H. coronarium
Koenig from different countries showed compositional differ-
ences, suggesting the existence of chemical varieties. 1,8-
Cineole (40-41%) was the most abundant constituent of the oils
of the Indian and Tahitian species, but the concentrations of
other main components such as β-caryophyllene and β-pinene
varied (3,4). The Egyptian species was found to contain methyl
eugenol, methyl salicylate and methyl anthranilate, which were
absent in the species from the other locations (5). 1,8-Cineole
was also the major component of the rhizome oil of H.
acuminatum Roscoe (6). The rhizome oil of H. aurantiacum
Roscoe was found to be a potential source of linalool (81%) (7).
The rhizome oil of H. gardnerianum Roscoe contained about
30% sesquiterpenes, mainly cadinane derivatives (8).
There does not appear to be any prior report on the nature
of the rhizome oil of H. cylindricum. The present paper
reports on the chemical constituents of the rhizome oil of H.
cylindricum collected from Sabah, Malaysia.
Experimental
Plant material: Fresh rhizomes of H. cylindricum were
collected from Mahua, Crocker Range, Sabah, Malaysia, in
October 1999. Voucher specimens were deposited at the
Herbarium of the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Kota
Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia.
Isolation of the essential oils: Fresh rhizomes, finely
chopped (200 g), were subjected to water distillation in a
Clevenger-type apparatus for 8 h. The oily layers obtained
were separated and dried over anhydrous sodium sulphate.
The yields were averaged over two experiments and calcu-
lated based on the dry weight of the plant materials.
Analysis of the oil: GC analysis was performed using a
Shimadzu GC 14A capillary chromatograph equipped with an
FID detector using a DB5 (30 m x 0.25 mm; 0.25 µm film
thickness) capillary column. The samples were dissolved in n-
hexane and injected in split mode, using pressured controlled
helium as carrier gas at a linear velocity of 50 cm/s. Injector
and detector temperature were maintained at 250°C. The
oven temperature was programmed at 75°C (10 min) to 230°C
at 3°C/min. The oil was also examined using an SE 30 capillary
column (25 m x 0.25 mm; 0.25 µm film thickness) under the
following program condition: initial temperature 60°C for 10
min, then 3°C/min to 180°C for 1 min. Peak areas and
retention times were measured by electronic integration. The
relative amounts of individual components were based on
peak areas obtained, without FID response factor correction.
Temperature program linear retention indices of the com-
pounds were also determined relative to n-alkanes (9).

*Address for correspondence Received: December 2000

Revised: February 2001
1041-2905/04/0004-0299$6.00/0—© 2004 Allured Publishing Corp. Accepted: April 2001

Vol. 16, July/August 2004 Journal of Essential Oil Research/299

 bin Ahmad et al.

Table I. Chemical composition of the rhizome oil of Hedychium cylindricum Ridl.

Method of Method of
Compound RI Percentage identification Compound RI Percentage identification

α-thujene 928 0.4 MS,RI geranial 1268 0.6 MS,RI,Co

α-pinene 939 1.3 MS,RI,Co carvacrol 1299 0.1 MS,RI,Co
camphene 953 t MS,RI,Co undecanal 1305 0.4 MS,RI,Co
sabinene 973 9.9 MS,RI,Co δ-elemene 1335 0.4 MS,RI
β-pinene 978 5.6 MS,RI,Co α-ylangene 1368 0.3 MS,RI
myrcene 988 1.1 MS,RI,Co α-copaene 1378 0.3 MS,RI,Co
α-phellandrene 1004 0.1 MS,RI,Co longifolene 1407 1.0 MS,RI
δ-3-carene 1009 0.8 MS,RI,Co β-caryophyllene 1417 0.1 MS,RI,Co
p-cymene 1026 8.5 MS,RI,Co γ-elemene 1437 0.1 MS,RI
β-phellandrene 1028 1.4 MS,RI,Co (E)- β-farnesene 1459 0.6 MS,RI
limonene 1031 6.0 MS,RI,Co α-humulene 1461 0.1 MS,RI,Co
1,8-cineole 1033 0.1 MS,RI,Co γ-muurolene 1477 0.2 MS,RI
γ-terpinene 1056 4.5 MS,RI,Co β-selinene 1491 0.2 MS,RI
Downloaded by [Northeastern University] at 11:23 28 December 2014

cis-sabinene hydrate 1062 1.0 MS,RI pentadecane 1500 0.1 MS,RI,Co

terpinolene 1085 1.2 MS,RI,Co γ-cadinene 1511 0.3 MS,RI
linalool 1098 1.3 MS,RI,Co δ-cadinene 1524 0.5 MS,RI
α-fenchol 1118 1.1 MS,RI (Z)-nerolidol 1534 0.3 MS,RI,Co
camphene hydrate 1149 0.1 MS,RI,Co (E)-nerolidol 1570 0.5 MS,RI,Co
citronellal 1153 0.1 MS,RI,Co viridiflorol 1586 0.4 MS,RI
terpinene-4-ol 1177 40.5 MS,RI,Co tetradecanal 1615 0.4 MS,RI,Co
α-terpineol 1189 2.2 MS,RI,Co (Z,Z)-farnesol 1723 0.1 MS,RI
myrtenal 1194 0.1 MS,RI,Co 2-heptadecanone 1902 0.1 MS,RI
decanal 1203 0.8 MS,RI,Co
nerol 1223 0.2 MS,RI,Co Total identified 97.1
neral 1246 1.7 MS,RI,Co

RI = measured linear retention indices on a BP 5 column, relative to n-alkanes; RI of compounds on an SE 30 column was also determined: percentages were calculated
by normalization of GC data without correction; MS = mass fragmentation; Co = co-chromatography with authentic sample

GC/MS analyses were carried out on a Hewlett Packard
GC/MSD 5890 series, EI electron impact ion source, 70 eV
using a BPX5 (30 m x 0.25 mm; 0.25 µm film thickness) with
similar conditions as described in GC programs. Identifica-
tion of the chemical components was based on the comparison
of their mass spectral data with the existing Wiley library,
comparison of calculated retention indices with literature
values and co-chromatography of some constituents with au-
thentic components on the DB 5 capillary column (10-12).
Hedychium species, were only present in minute quantities at
0.1% and 1.3%, respectively (3-8). Sesquiterpenoids consti-
tuted only 5.4% of the oil and all of the 16 sesquiterpenoids
identified were present in minute quantities (not more than
0.5%) except for longifolene which was present at 1.0%
concentration.
Acknowledgements
The authors are grateful to Abu Said Ahmad of Forest Research
Institute Malaysia for his skilful technical assistance.

Results and Discussion References

Water distillation of the fresh rhizomes of H. cylindricum
yielded 1.5% oil (calculated on a dry weight basis). The gas
chromatogram of the oil revealed the presence of at least 55
components, of which 47 were identified (Table I). From the
analysis of the mass fragmentation patterns, the unidentified
components (3%) that were each present in minute quantities
were sesquiterpenes hydrocarbons and their oxygenated de-
rivatives.
The oil was characterized by its richness in monoterpenoids
(> 88%) where terpinen-4-ol (40.5%) was the most abundant
compound. The oil may be used as a good source of this
compound which is widely used in the perfume industry.
Other major monoterpenoids in the oil were sabinene (9.9%),
p-cymene (8.5%), limonene (6.0%), β-pinene (5.6%), γ-
terpinene (4.5%), and α-terpineol (2.2%). 1,8-Cineole and
linalool, which were the major components in the other
1. H. Ibrahim, Diversity, Distribution and Some Notes on Gingers of Sayap-
Kinabalu Park, Sabah. In: A Scientific Journey Through Borneo-Sayap
Kinabalu Park, Sabah. Edits., G. Ismail and L.B. Din, p 62-65, Pelanduk
Publications, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
2. R.E. Holttum, The Zingiberaceae of the Malay Peninsula. Gard. Bull.
Sing., 13, 48-65 (1950).
3. V.K. Dixit, K.C. Varma and V.N. Vashisht, Studies on essential oils of
rhizomes of Hedychium spicatum Koenig and Hedychium coronarium.
Indian J. Pharm., 39, 58-60 (1977).
4. I. Lechat-Vahirua, P. Francois, C. Menut, G. Lamaty and J.M. Bessiere,
Aromatic plants of French Polynesia. Constituents of the essential oils
of rhizhomes of three Zingiberaceae: Zingiber zerumbet Smith,
Hedychium coronarium Koenig and Etlingera cevuga Smith. J. Essent.
Oil Res., 5, 55-59 (1993).
5. M.Y. Haggag and A.M. El-Shamy, Phytochemical study of Alpinia
nutans (Roscoe) and Hedychium coronarium (Koenig). Egypt. J. Pharm.
Sci., 18, 465-476 (1977).
6. A.T. Bottini, D.J. Garfagnoli, L.S. Delgado, V. Dev, S.T. Duong, C.G. Kelly,
R. Keyer, R. Raffel, P. Joshi and C.S. Mathela, Sesquiterpene alcohols from
Hedychium spicatum var. acuminatum. J. Nat. Prod., 50, 732-134 (1987).

300/Journal of Essential Oil Research Vol. 16, July/August 2004

 Hedychium cylindricum
7. A.K. Pant, C.S. Mathela, V. Dev and A.T. Bottini, Rhizome essential oil
of Hedychium aurantiacum (Zingiberaceae), a potential source of (+)- 10.
linalool. J. Essent. Oil Res., 4, 129-131 (1992).
8. P. Weyerstahl, H. Marschall, K. Thefeld and G.C. Subba, Constituents 11.
of the essential oil from the rhizomes of Hedychium gardnerianum
Roscoe. Flav Fragr. J., 13, 377-388 (1998).
9. E. Kovats, Gas chromatographic characterization of organic substances 12.
in the retention index system. Chapter 7. In: Advances in Chromatography.
Edits., J.C. Giddings and R.A. Keller, Vol. 1, p 229-247, Marcel Dekker,
Downloaded by [Northeastern University] at 11:23 28 December 2014
Vol. 16, July/August 2004
New York (1965).
F.W. McLafferty and D.B. Staufer, The Willey NBS Registry of Mass
Spectral Data. Vol. II, John Wiley and Sons, New York (1989).
N.W. Davies, Gas chromatographic retention indices of monoterpenes
and sesquiterpenes on methyl silicone and Carbowax 20M phases. J.
Chromatogr., 503, 1- 24 (1990).
W. Jennings and T. Shibamoto, Qualitative Analysis of Flavor and
Fragrance Volatiles by Glass Capillary Gas Chromatography. Academic
Press, New York (1980).
Journal of Essential Oil Research/301