HEDYEHIUM SPICATUM

Common Name : Sutti
Plant Parts Used : Rhizome

Description of Hedychium Spicatum :
It is an annual herb, with a horizontal root- stock, and tuberous rootfibres, leaves are 30 cms or more in length. Inflorescence is spiked. Flowers ascending and dense yellow coloured. Capsule is globose.

Characteristics and Constituents :
The dried rhizome of the plant contains essential oil, starch, resins, organic acids and a glycoside; albumen and saccharine are also present. The essential oil has ethyl ester of p-methoxy cinnamic acid, d-sabirene cineole, sesquiterpenes and pentadecane methyl paracumarine acetate. It contain, ? -sitosterol and its ?-D-glycoside.

Actions and Uses :
In preliminary pharmacological studies the drug is found to have a vasodilatory effect on coronary vessels, mild hy-potensive property and a non-specific antispasmodic effect on smooth muscles. Studies on the essential oil of the rhizomes of Hedychium spicatum reveal that these oils possess a mild tranquilizing effect of short duration. They depressed the conditioned avoidance response, rotarod performance and potentiated pento-barbitone hypnosis and morphine analgesia in rats. The crude ethanolic extract of rhizomes possesses anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity. The anti-inflammatory activity was mainly localised in the hexane fraction from which 1% of pure active constituent was isolated. The analgesic activity was more prominent in the benzene fraction. Some other minor active constituents were also present which may contribute to the total activity of rhizomes.
The root stalk is useful in local inflammations, nausea, asthma, bronchitis, hiccups and in pain. The rhizome of the plant is said to be carminative, stimulant and a tonic. It has been described as useful, specially as an antiasthmatic agent. Clinical trials have been conducted in tropical eosinophilia,with promising results. It counteracts had mouth taste and smell.
In the doses commonly used, no adverse reactions have been reported.