Abstract

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF TRAIT, PUNJAB’S ZINGIBER OFFICINALE RHIZOME AS A CRUDE DRUG

Naveed Hussain*, Abu Saeed Hashmi, Shagufta Saeed, Shahid Raza, Shaista Qamar, Hira Mubeen

Abstract

Crude drugs, particularly phytomedicines, are world’s mostly used alternative medicines that are also now being used for various bioactive compounds’ extraction to design new safe and effective drugs. Zingiber officinale (ZO) rhizome is also one of such crude drug having great therapeutic importance for various life threatening ailments. Although, studies related to its chemistry have been conducted before but due to different protocols and different geographical areas’ varieties, there is lack of congruency among the results. Moreover, previous data mostly report chemical analysis of fresh ZO rhizome and lack detailed information about its crude drug form that is rich in 6-gingerol, a major potent bioactive compound, in addition to other valuable constituents. Keeping in view of WHO recommended strategies and guidelines of 2002-05 and 2014-2013 for phytomedicines, it is also mandatory to study variable chemistry of ZO of different geographical areas before to declare its global safe usage as a medicine or in new drugs’ formulations. In our study, the chemistry of Trait, Punjab, Pakistan’s ZO crude drug and its methanolic extract was studied. Low moisture content (4.07±0.06%) but high carbohydrate(56.92%), fat (10.55±0.01%), fiber (18.24±0.02%) and 6-gingerol (6.50%) contents were found in our sample in comparison to previous studies. Yet, our findings were mostly congruent with few Indian studies. Lastly our findings may be useful if Trait, Punjab, Pakistan’s ZO specie is used as a crude drug or in new drugs’ compositions.

Keywords: Zingiber officinale, crude drug, 6-gingerol, HPLC, proximate analysis, phytochemistry.