INTRODUCTION:

Curcuma aromatica Salisb. commonly known as wild turmeric in English, “vanaharidra” in Ayurveda, “janglihaldi” in Hindi, and “Yu Jin” in Chinese, or yellow zedoary is a species that stands second among the widely used curcumin species next to common turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn.). This is belonging to Zingiberaceae family. The plant is distributed wild throughout India and mainly cultivated in Kerala and West Bengal¹. It has been in traditional use as an aromatic medicinal cosmetic. It also possesses a strong antimicrobial effect and has been used since ancient times as a remedy against various microbial infections. Curcuma aromatic commonly known as wild turmeric belongs to family zingiberaceae and genus curcuma.

Curcuma aromatic (CA) is also a common Chinese herb used for treating diseases with blood stasis and has been regarded as a potent anticancer herb. The rhizomes of C. aromatic are used in indigenous medicine for external applications on skin diseases, sprain, bruise, in snake poison, delaying the ageing process, pain relief, protecting against liver diseases and also to enhance complexion. They are also has been reported to be rich in medically essential phytochemicals, such as alkaloids, flavonoids, curcuminoids, tannins, and terpenoids. Apart from that villagers in the northeastern part of India are using aqueous extracts and paste (with milk) of C. aromatic rhizomes and leaves for the treatment of indigestion, rheumatism, wound healing, and dysentery and also in the prevention of helminthes infections Compared to Curcuma longa it generally has a higher level of volatile content (4-8%) and the chemical and aroma characteristics of the volatile oil of two species are also different. They can be easily differentiated with thin layer chromatography (TLC) or gas chromatography (GC) due to the presence of camphene and camphor and a high boiling alcohol in the volatile oil of CA which are absent in C. longa². The traditional uses of C. aromatic rhizome extract as medicine are now being explored in modern scientific research for the possible development of modern medicine including but not limited to antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, antiangiogenic, antitussive, antiobesity, antiacne, antiallergic, and wound healing. Therefore, in this review, we have compiled and critically analyzed the reported studies on the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of C. aromatic rhizomes, leaves, and its essential oil. We hope this will provide future insight into the medical application of C. aromatic for the treatment of various diseases.

Biological source:

Curcuma aromatic commonly known as wild turmeric belongs to family zingiberaceae and genus curcuma. The most commonly found species are curcuma longa linn C.aromatica salisb, curcuma amadaroxb, curcuma caesiaroxb found in various region of world.

Curcuma aromatic Salisb:

Plants of genus Curcuma belongs to zingiberaceae/ Scitaminae family and is known for their high therapeutic potentials. Curcuma longa Linn. (Haridra), Curcuma aromaticaSalisb.(Vana Haridra), Curcuma amadaRoxb. (Amragandhi Haridra), Curcuma angustifolia Roxb, Curcuma caesia Roxb. (Kali Haridra), Curcuma zedoaria Rosc. (Zedoary) are known important species among the hundred species seen in different parts of the world³. Amongthem CA is the second most important species cultivated for its rhizomes. It is an annual orbiennial erect herb with light yellow (internally orange) coloured rhizomes having a camphoraceous odour and is commonly known as “kasturimanjal /arishne/pasuppu” (musk turmeric) in south India. It is a time tested medicinal cosmetic and is even in practice today in India for various skin ailments and cosmetic uses.

Chemical constituents:

Alpha-curcumene (ar-curcumene), beta curcumene, dcamphor, alpha and beta-turmerone. Also other compounds like d-camphene, p-methoxycinnamic acid, germacrene D, curzerene, germacrone, alpha-andd beta-pinenes, bborneol, alpha-terpeniol, myrcene, terpinolene, gamma-terpinene, limonine, beta-thujone, alpha-copaene, alpha-bergamotene, beta-bisabolene, cuminic aldehyde, cuminyl alcohol, hydroxyisogermafurenolide, xanthorrhizol, curcuphenol, beta –elemene, zingiberene, isoborneol, linalool, beta –farnesene, 1,8-cineole, curzerenone and curcumin⁴. The constituents identified in the oil were: alpha-pinene, beta-pinene, camphene, 1,8-cineol, isofurano-germacrene, borneol, isoborneol, beta-curcumene, ar-curcumene, xanthorrhizol, germacrone, camphor, and curzerenone and the constituent in oil was found to vary from place to place⁵.

Pharmacological actions:

Traditionally used as an anti- inflammatory agent CA possesses a wide range of activities. Many studies have reported Anti –inflammatory, anti-tumor, immunological effects, wound healing, anti-fungal, anti-oxidant, anti- microbial, anti-diabetic, antiplatelet and mosquito repellent activity of wild turmeric. CA is used for preventing and treating coronary heart disease, epilepsy, as anti-allergic and in auto immune disease. The extracts of CA roots find uses for the treatment of cholecystitis, biliary calculi and other related diseases. Ethanol extract exhibited potent anti-angiogenic and pro-apoptotic effects in mice bearing Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. Methanol extracts of CA showed an anti-proliferative activity against human cancer cells. It also showed in vitro estrogenic activity. Rhizomes yield 6.1% essential oil and exhibited anti-tumor activity. Oil is also used for treatment of early stage of cervix cancer. Volatile oil exhibited in vivo inhibitory effect on proliferation of hepatoma in mice. Essential oil also exhibited in vitro anthelmintic activity⁵. Various other reported activities include anti-microbial and anti-tumor activities of essential oil, anti-inflammatory activity due to curcumin, anti- diabetic due to (4S,5S)-(+)-germacrone- 4,5-epoxide and anti-arrhythmic activity of aqueous extract due to the presence of dipotassium magnesium dioxalatedihydrate. The oil and methanol extract showed potent radicals cavenging activities. The extracts also exhibited remarkable superoxide radical-scavenging activities. The monoterpenoids, sesquiterpenoids and curcuminoids of CA have been reported to possess antimicrobial, anti-fungal, antioxidant and antitumour activities⁶. These are described in detail in the following section.

Anticancer activity:

Cancer is a disease characterized by an uncontrollable growth of cells in the human body, forming tumors of malignant cells. Cancer is a major public health problem and the second leading cause of death in both developed and developing countries. The current regimen, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, is often expensive and associated with severe side effects. Hence, the focus has shifted to identifying new, safe, and cost-effective alternativetreatment against cancer, preferably from natural sources. Bioactive compounds, including 1,8-cineole, ar-curcumene, ar-turmerone, β-elemene, camphor, curcumol, curdione, germacrone, linalool, xanthorrhizol, and zingiberene, from the essential oil of C. aromatica have been proven to possess anticancer properties. Cytotoxic activities of essential oils extracted from the rhizomes of C. aromatic by colorimetric MTT [3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay against prostate cancer cells line [lymph node carcinoma of the prostate (LNCaP)] and human hepatoma cells line (HepG2). The essential oils showed significantly higher anticancer activity against LNCaP (IC50 of 1.14±0.02μg/ml) than the HepG2 (IC50 of 168.94±1.93μg/ml). In another study, the infusion of essential oils via the hepatic artery exhibited rapid therapeutic effects in patients with primary liver cancer and transplanted hepatoma rat model, respectively. The essential oils were also reportedto have a protective effect against intestinal metaplasia and esophago duodenal anastomosis in a rat model. On the other hand investigated the inhibitory effect of curdione isolated from the rhizome of C. aromatica on CYP3A4 using 1α, 25-(OH)(2)-D(3)-treated Caco-2 clone cells. The results revealed that curdione showed the best inhibitory activity with IC50 of 3.9μg/ml after 72 hours of treatment with no cytotoxic effect. Hence, it was concluded that the inhibitory activity of curdione accelerates the degradation of CYP3A4. The molecular mechanisms of apoptotic activity of curcuminisolated from C. aromatic were examined on human hepatomaSMMC-7721 cells. The curcumin significantly inhibited the growth of SMMC-7721 cells in a concentration dependent manner and also induced apoptosis by modulation of apoptotic proteins (bax/bcl-2) in SMMC-7721 cells. A similar study investigated the anti-proliferative mechanism of the apoptotic effect of β-elemene isolated from C. aromatica on a HepG2 which revealed that β-elemene effectively inhibited the proliferation of HepG2 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. The induction of apoptosis in hepatoma HepG2 cells was by the up regulation of Fas/FasL expression.

Ant-diabetic activity:

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic, life-threatening systemic disease leading to multiple complications, such as blindness, kidney failure, amputations, strokes, and heart attacks. Diabetes mellitus causes oxidative destruction of cellular membranes and redox imbalance (within the cells) called oxidative stress, which leads to an increased production of free radicals and a decreased antioxidant defense mechanism in the body. Hence, it has been hypothesized that, in diabetes mellitus, free radical production increases due to the increased oxidative stress and decreased antioxidant production. Thus, the increased production of free radicals could be considered as one of the significant complications of diabetes mellitus. Curcuma aromatic possesses compounds such as 1, 8-cineole, ar-turmerone, curcumin, curcumol, demethoxycurcumin, germacrone, and xanthorrhizol that have been well reported to have antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties. It is reported that the toluene extract of rhizomes of C. aromatic significantly decreased the glucose level from 278.53 to 116.5mg/dl, increased protein level from 3.09 to 5.78mg/dl, decreased cholesterol level from 292.33 to 134.50mg/dl, and reduced the triglyceride level from 85.66 to 64.16mg/dl upon oral administration at a maximum single dose of 400mg/kg in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Analgesic activity:

The use of analgesic drugs, such as opiates and NSAIDs, for pain relief has been stagnated as these drugs are reported to have adverse side effects, including addiction and gastrointestinal disorders. In an effort to find natural alternatives to these drugs, several plants, including C. aromatica, have been studied and have showed potent analgesic activity. Some studies the analgesic effect of aqueous extract of C. aromatica rhizomes by Eddy’s hot plate (55°C) method in rats to induce pain due to heat. The extract was administered orally at a concentration of 300 and 500μg/kg and showed prolonged pain latency compared to the diclofenac sodium (10mg/kg). In another study, a reduced number of writhes by mice were observed in the acetic acid-induced writhing test after the administration of aqueous extract of the rhizomes of C. aromatica. The analgesic activity of C. aromatica was attributed to the presence of 1, 8-cineole, linalool, borneol, camphene, and camphor.

Antimicrobial activity:

Microbial contamination and resistance are a few of the significant challenges in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. For instance, antimicrobial agents, including food preservatives, have been used to inhibit the growth of food-borne bacteria and prolong the shelf life of processed foods. Many plant derivatives, including those of C. aromatica, have been shown to possess antimicrobial properties.

A study revealed that crude hexane extract of C. aromaticawas effective against Gram-positive bacteria and ineffective against the tested Gram-negative bacteria. The phytochemical analysis identified that the antimicrobial activity was attributed to germacrone. It should be noted that germacrone has also been reported to possess other biological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antitussive, antitumor, and antifungal properties. On the other hand, the essential oil extracted from the fresh rhizomes of C. aromaticahas been shown to inhibit the growth of both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) was then isolated and found to be active against Staphylococcus aureus strains and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In another study, the essential oil of C. aromatica was also reported to have higher antifungal activity against S. cerevisiae (183.18μg/ml) than the essential oils from other Curcuma species, including Curcuma nankunshanensis, Curcuma elata, Curcuma kwangsiensis var. nanlingensis, Curcuma yunnanensis, Curcuma rubescens, and Curcuma sichuanensis.

Apart from germacrone and curcumin, C. aromatic is also composed of other bioactive compounds, such as ar-turmerone, camphor, curdione, and xanthorrhizol, that are reported elsewhere to have an antimicrobial effect against both fungi (Aspergillus flavus, Fusariumsemitectum, Colletotrichumgloeosporioides, Colletotrichummusae, Candida albicans, Candida glabrata, Candida guilliermondii, Candida krusei, Candida parapsilosis, and Candida tropicalis) and bacteria (Escherichia coli, S. aureus, and Bacillus cereus). Perhaps these findings are not surprising, as C. aromatica often is one of the ideal plant sources for the treatment of various infectious diseases in the conventional and Ayurvedic regime.

Anti- Inflammatory activity:

Aqueous and alcoholic extracts showed anti –inflammatory activity in mice. The ethanol extracts and formulations exhibited significant anti- inflammatory activity in arachidonic acid –induced ear inflammations. The resulting anti - inflammatory activity was suggested to be due to effects on several mediators and arachidonic acid metabolism involving cyclo-oxygenase pathway ^[7]. A study was also done on Anti-inflammatory effect of the volatile oil from CA.

CONCLUSION:

The main focus of this article is to discuss the number of pharmacological activities and chemical constituent present from the drug Curcuma aromatica also called as wild turmeric.

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Received on 01.01.2022 Modified on 27.01.2022

Res. J. Pharmacology and Pharmacodynamics.2022;14(2):89-92.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5836.2022.00016