Phenylbutanoid-rich rhizome oil of Zingiber neesanum from Western Ghats, Southern India

Essential oil from the rhizomes of Zingiber neesanum (Graham) Ramamoorthy from the Western Ghats region of southern India was isolated and characterized by GC and GC-MS. Oil constituents were identified by comparison of individual mass spectra with databases and the literature, linear retention indices and co-injection. Sixty-one constituents, comprising 97.4% of the oil, were identified. Phenylbutanoids, viz. (E)-1-(3',4'-dimethoxyphenyl)butadiene (31.1%), a potential antiinflammatory compound, and (E)-1-(3',4'-dimethoxyphenyl)but-1-ene (23.1%) were isolated from the oil by prep. TLC, characterized by IR, UV, 1H-NMR and MS and quantified by external standardization. (E)-beta-ocimene (12.7%), beta-pinene (7.4%) and linalool (4.0%) were the major terpenoid constituents in Z. neesanum rhizome oil. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.