1285
were identified as flavonol of flavonoids. They were 3,5,7-trihydroxyflavone
(galangin) and 3,5,7-trihydroxy-4'-methoxyflavone (kaempferide). The other was 5,7-
dihydroxy-4'-methoxy-3-
O
-ȕ-D-glucopyranosideflavone
(kaempferide-3-
O
-ȕ-D-
glucoside), which had not been previously reported in this species.
Keywords:
Alpinia
conchigera
Griff, Galangin, Kaempferide, Kaempferide-3-
O
-
ȕ-D-glucoside.
Introduction
Alpinia
conchigera
Griff is a pungent and aromatic rhizome, which is a
member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). The rhizome is cultivated in India,
Vietnam, southern China and Thailand because of its use as a spice and as a
traditional medicine
(Athamaprasangsa, 1994) for several purposes such as treatment
for ring worm, venereal diseases, carminative, abdominal discomfort, stomach
discomfort and antiflatulent. In chemical and pharmacological studies of the rhizomes
of small galanga have three groups of important chemical constituents, flavonoids,
glycosides, and diarylheptanoids. It has been reported that
Alpinia
conchigera
Griff
has biological activities, including antitumor, antiulcer, antibacterial, and antifungal
properties(Itokawa,1985, Newman, 2003, Shimoyamada, 2003, Matsuda, 2006). This
present communication deals with the separation of compounds from the chloroform
extract and the identification of three isolated compounds obtained from the rhizome
of
Alpinia
conchigera
Griff. Further study on purification and structure elucidation of
the other isolated compounds are in progress.
Materials and methods
The dried powder of rhizomes of
Alpinia
conchigera
Griff from Thai
Traditional Medicines Development Center, Institute of Thai Traditional
Medicines ,Ministry of Public Health, wes extracted consecutively with hexane by
soxhlet extraction apparatus for 12 hours, chloroform for 12 hours, and methanol for
12 hours. The extracted solutions were then filtered through a filter paper (Whatman
No. 1). The filtrates were concentrated by evaporation under reduced pressure to
