Kaempferia galanga (Cekur)

Scientific Classification

Kingdom : Plantae , SubKingdom : Tracheobionta
Division : Magnoliophyta
Class : Liliopsida, Subclass : Zingiberidae
Order : Zingiberales
Family : Zingiberaceae
Subfamily : Zingiberoideae
Genus : Kaempferia
Species : galanga L.

The genus Kaempferia is named after the German botanist Engelbert Kaempfer (1651–1716). Kaempfer’s most important achievement was the first thorough description of Japanese flora by a European scientist.

Vernacular Name

•CHINESE : Shan nai, Sha jiang.
•ENGLISH : resurrection lily, Lesser galangal.
•HINDI : Chandramula.
•GERMAN : Kleiner Galgant.
•MALAY : Chekur.
•INDONESIAN : Kencur . Kencur is derived from Sanskrit 'kachora' which means another plant
•RUSSIAN : Kempferiya galanga.
•THAI : Proh hom.
• PHILIPPINES : Dusol


History


There are no history for the uses of K. galanga in other ethnic except fot the malays and the Javas(Indonesian).



Botany - Morphology


LEAVES

Smooth, stemless herb arising from tuberous aromatic rootstocks with fibrous cylindric roots. Leaves are solid green, horizontally spreading, orbicular to broadly ovate, 7-15 cm long, with rounded base.

FLOWERS

The flowers are at the cuntre of the plant, small and inconspicious but absolutely beautiful. The colour is primarily white and purple in the middle. Flowers are few, about 4-6. with lanceolate bracts. Corolla tube is slender, 2-3 cm long with a lip cleft in the middle. Staminodes are obovate, about 1-2 cm long.

RHIZOMES

Dried Rhizome and Fresh Rhizome

The shape is like fingers (That is why it is called finger root). It ia very aromatic. It resembles ginger in shape in that the subunits are flat (elliptical cross-section), but it is much smaller (5 cm). It has a dark reddish-brown skin, and the soft interior is nearly white.

Physiology

The will go completely dormant in late fall, even in the tropics where it is native. During dormancy care should be taken not to keep the soil too wet, but during the growing season it should be grown in well drained woodland soil kept regularly watered, and mild applications of fertilizer might be needed if the soil is low in nitrogen
The reproduction is through rhizomes and sexually through the production of flower

Habitat

In open grasslands at low and medium altitudes. It is best planted in a humid and covered area. It is a native of south India. It is found primarily in open areas in southern China, Taiwan, Combodia and India. It is also widely cultivated throughout Southeast Asia. As an ornamental, it makes an interesting groundcover. It will go completely dormant in late fall, even in the tropics where it is native. During dormancy care should be taken not to keep the soil too wet, but during the growing season it should be grown in well drained woodland soil kept regularly watered, and mild applications of fertilizer might be needed if the soil is low in nitrogen. In Malaysia, it is planted as an ornamental plant and also to be used as ingredient in culinary .

Properties - Chemical constituents and characteristic

Rhizome contains a volatile oil and small amounts of cinnamic acid ethyl ester, borneol, camphene, cineol, paraumarin, cinnamic acid, and anisic acid.• Also contains a small amount of alkaloid. Also, a lot of starch, gum, and mineral matter. Rhizomes are carminative, stimulant, expectorant and diuretic. The rhizome contains about 2.5 to 4% essential oil, whose main components are ethyl cinnamate (25%), ethyl-p-methoxycinnamate (30%) and p-methoxycinnamic acid; furthermore, 3-carene-5-one was found (Phytochemistry, 26, 3350, 1987). Other literature reports 4-butylmenthol, β-phellandrene, α-terpineol, dihydro-β-sesquiphellandrene, pentadecane and 1,8-cineol. The rhizome is also reported to display cytotoxic properties. (Chem. Pharm. Bull., 33, 3565, 1985).

ETHNOBOTANY OF K. galanga

K. galanga is grown for medicine and also as spice. The parts that are used are the leaves and the rhizomes. So generally the whole plant is being used. The leaves are edible and the malays eat it as 'ulam'. The rhizome can be used as herbs, culinary and also medicine.

In Bali, the balinese used it to cook roasted roast duck bebek betulu. The food is a favourite among tourists. A whole duck is rub inside and outside with a paste that are made of onions, ginger, lemon grass, chilies and kencur, wrapping in banana leaves, the duck is first steamed and then roasted in an oven which makes the meat extraordinarily tender.

In other parts of Asia, it is not known as a spice, though it is widely cultivated as a medicinal herb. It has, though, some culinary usage in China, particularly in the cooking of the Sichuan province. IT is always used dried in Chinese cooking. Chinese cookbooks often refer to it as “sand ginger”, translated from Chinese sha jiang .

Among the malays in Kedah, the young leaves are use as one of the spices for the delicious nasi ulam.

The malays also use the rhizome

• as a tonic after giving birth. It is believe to stimilate the contraction of the uterus.


• as herbs to relief indigestion.


• also can be used as remedy for mestrual pain


• as remedy for acne

Commercial Use

Now the plant is widely cultivated in Malaysia, Indonesia and Philipine as a medicinal herbs. There are a lot of traditional/alternative medicine that use this plant as an ingredient in their products . Here are a few examples products from K. galanga.

KENCUR INSTANT - IMMERSE IN HOT WATER AND DRINK

K. galanga : Sold as tablets - For medicinal purpose

K. galanga : The ingredients in a facial cleanser -to treat acne

Scientific Studies of K. galanga

•Extracts of the plant using methanol have shown larvicidal activity against the second stage larva of dog roundworm (Toxocara canis).

• It was also found to be effective as an amebicide in vitro against three species of Acanthamoeba which cause granulomatous amebic encephalitis and amebic keratitis.

•In 1999 the rhizome extract was found to inhibit activity of Epstein-Barr virus.

•Further research has demonstrated that the extract effectively kills larvae of the mosquito Culex quinquefasciatus and repels adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, both of which are serious disease vectors.

•wound healing activity of alcoholic extract of Kaempferia galanga in wistar rats: Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of flavonoids in K galanga with enhanced wound contraction effect that could be of use in the healing of open wounds.

•Sedative activity of hexane extract of Keampferia galanga L. and its active compounds: Study results showed considerable sedative and relaxant effects suggesting a potential for its application in aromatherapy.

Here are some ethnobotanical uses of K. galanga from Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases.

Abdomen Burkill,1966; Cosmetic Burkill,1966; Cough Burkill,1966; Fever Burkill,1966; Mastitis Burkill,1966; Ophthalmia Burkill,1966; Otosis Burkill,1966; Rheumatism Burkill,1966; Sore(Throat) Burkill,1966; Swelling Burkill,1966
Ache(Head) Woi.5; Ache(Tooth) Bliss; Cancer Hartwell; Carminative Bliss, Keys, Steinmetz, Woi.5; Chill(Veterinary) Woi.5; Cicatrizant Uphof; Dandruff Bliss, Uphof, Woi.5; Diuretic Steinmetz, Woi.5; Dyspepsia Woi.5; Expectorant Steinmetz, Woi.5; Eye Woi.5; Fever Woi.5; Malaria Woi.5; Odontalgia Keys; Pediculicide Bliss, Steinmetz; Perfume Steinmetz; Repellant(Insect) Bliss; Rheumatism Woi.5; Scabies Bliss; Sore(Throat) Woi.5; Stimulant Bliss, Keys, Steinmetz, Woi.5; Stomachic Bliss, Keys; Tumor Woi.5.

Lawsonia inermis (Henna)

Introduction

Scientific name Lawsonia inermis comes from the term lawsone, that is the red –orange pigment, the molecule of which is also known as hennotannic acid. The vernacular name is henna or hina. The word hina in Arabic means medicine. In india it is called mehdi and in malay it is called inai. Human have been using henna for many purposes i.e as medicine and as dye.


Scientific classification

Kingdom : Plantae
Divison : Magnoliophyta
Class : Magnoliosida
Subclass : Rosids
Family : Lythraceae
Order : Myrtales
Genus : Lawsonia
Species : Inermis L.



Morphology

General
Much –branched, glabrous shrub or small tree. About 2-3 m height,


Leaves

. opposite, subsessile, elliptic or broadly lanceolate (1.5-5.0 cm X 0.5-2 cm)
· gradually yellow and fall during prolonged dry or cool intervals.


Flowers


· borne in large terminal panicled cymes and are numerous, small, white or rose-coloured and fragrant.
· have four sepals and a 2 mm calyx tube with 3 mm spread lobes. Petals are obvate, white or red stamens inserted in pairs on the rim of the calyx tube. Ovary is four celled, style up to 5 mm long and erect.

Fruits

. are small , 4-8mm in diameter, capsular and nearly globose, about the size of pea with numerous smooth, pyramidal seeds (with 32-49 seeds per fruit)

Anatomy

General
-occurrence of intraxylary phloem where the vascular bundle is in the form of bundles

Leaf
· Epidermis containing mucilaginous cells. The tabular epidermal cell are rectilinear or tend to be polygonal in surface view..
· Mesophyll dorsiventral with 2 or more layers of palisade tissue towards the upper surface. But locally isobilateral owing to the tendency for the outer cells of the spongy mesophyll to develop as a second palisade.
· Storage and terminal tracheids occur in the form of large pitted cells
· Crystals – presence of small crystalline rod, needles or granules


Stem
· young stem commonly with 4 or 5 prominat angles and sometimes enlarged to form wing-like expansion.
· Cork arising arising in the inner part of the pericycle. Partly composed of phelloid cells
· Presence of intraxylary phloem


Propagation / Reproduction

Sexual – by seeds
Asexual – by cutting


Habitat, origin and geography.

· Henna will only grow where minimum temperatures stay above 11⁰C. It will tolerate extreme heat and long droughts. It grows wild near desert oasis, and in semi-aid regions. It thrives in alluvial soils, where there is annual precipitation of 0.2 to 4.2 meters and a soil pH of 4.3 to 8.0 (4.1-31). hot, semi-arid regions.

· Country of Origin: northern Africa, southwestern Asia.

· Now is extensively grown in India, Egypt, Sudan, Iran, Malagasy Republic, Pakistan and Australia

· It is grown all over India as hedge plant., but it is cultivated as a dye crop mainly in Haryana, Punjab and Gujarat.

· Henna use and its traditions have migrated over the course of many centuries as the people of the world's henna-using cultures moved across parts of Asia, Africa, and Europe. The pace of that migration has increased greatly as people from southern Asia and the Middle East have formed permanent communities in the West and fast efficient shipping and commmunication have made it possible to transport henna and information about it to all parts of the world.

Properties

Henna, Lawsonia inermis, contains a red-orange pigment, lawsone(C10H6O3) ; 1.0-1.4% occurring in the dried leaves. The molecule is also known as hennotannic acid. When henna leaves are crushed in an acidic medium and applied to skin, the lawsone molecules migrate from the henna paste, traverse the outermost layer of the skin, Stratum corneum and stain the skin. Prolonged applications of henna result in diffusion of the pigment deeply into the skin. It is harmless and causes no irritation of the skin.Chemically, the molecule of lawsone is 2-hydroxy-1, 4-naphthoquinone. Industrial classifications also describe lawsone as Natural Orange 6 and C.I. 75480. The name and molecular structure of lawsone show its congeniality to naphthalene. In lawsone, two oxygen atoms are attached to the naphthalene carbons at positions 1 and 4 to form 1,4-naphoquinone and a hydroxyl (–OH) group is present at position 2. Its molecule contains 10 carbons, 6 hydrogens and 3 oxygens (C10H6O3), giving a total molecular weight of 174.16 atomic units of mass. Pure lawsone is an orange powder, insoluble in water, with a melting point higher than 192ºC and optical absorption maximum of 452 nm.


Uses of Henna

Henna has many traditional and commercial uses, the most common being as a dye for hair, skin and fingernails, as a dye and preservative for leather and cloth, and as an anti-fungal. It is also

History of The Using Of Henna

· There are many contradictory information about the history of henna.

. Old medical texts have useful references for placing henna in historical geographies: The Ebers Papyrus, written around 1550 BCE in Egypt details the medicinal attributes of henna grown in soils of differing moisture content, and characteristics of different parts of the plant (Bryan, 1974).

.In Medicine of the Prophet (Al_Jawziyya, tr. Johnstone 1998) lists specific uses for henna, including treatment of migraines.

· Henna flowers have been used to create perfume since ancient times, and Henna was used as a hair dye in Indian court records around 400 CE, in Rome during the Roman Empire, and in Spain during Convivienca.

· As far back as 1200 B.C. the ancient Egyptians were using henna on their nails and hair. Henna was also used to dye animal skins, textiles, and men's beards. Once the henna plant's cooling properties were discovered, painting the skin became a way for the desert people of India to cool down their body temperatures.

· Archaeologists have found evidence that henna has been used by the Egyptians to produce mummies .They found that the toes and feet of the mummies have been coloured with an orange dye believed to be henna.

Diagrams below show that henna has long been used as body art in different ethnic.

King Mahajanaka, Ajanta Caves, Maharastra India, 5th – 6th century CE
(His palms were dyed)

A Lady Playing the Tanpura, Rajasthan, Kishangarh, ca. 1735, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Fletcher Fund, 1996 (1996,100.1) Indian Court Painting, 16th – 19th C

A Harem girl, attributed to Mirza Baba, Iran 1811-14, Collection of the Royal Asiatic Society London, 01.002

Detail from Life in The Country: The Nomad Encampment of Layla’s Tribe, Tabriz, 1539 – 43, Cambridge, Harvard University Art Museum 1958.75




Medicinal Uses

. In The Ebers Papyrus, written around 1550 BCE, Henna is used as astringent, stops diarrhea, close open wounds and also used as a dye.

.In the book healing with the medicine of the Prophet by Iman Ibn Qayyim, he stated that henna tree has two special qualities
1. decomposing due to its warm watery essence
2. constipating due to the cold earthy essence

Due to these two properties Imam Ibn Qayyim discusses the used of henna in medicine;
1. soothing the headache caused by high fever. Crushed henna blend with vinegar and applied to the forehead will relieve the headache.
2. treating burns and to soothe the nerves when used as a bandage .
3. treating the cankers and thrush that appears in the mouth When chewed henna.
4. Healing stomatitis(inflammation of the mucous membranes of the mouth) in a child.
5. Treating smallpox- when the symptoms of smallpox atart to break out on children and henna is then applied on the bottom of their feet, the eyes will be immune from the sores that accompany smallpox
6. Preventing mold and mite- when the flower is placed between wool clothes.
7. Preventing leprosy – soak the leaves of henna in fresh water, squeezed and drink for forty days with sugar and meat of a young ewe.


o Henna can also used ;
1. as an ointment for the fingers, as it polishes and strengthens them.
2. as remedy for hot tumors that drain yellow residue(pus)-when blended with butter and then used as a bandage.
3. as remedy against chronic mange, helps the hair grow, makes it stronger and also strengthens the head.
4. Against the blisters and the pustules that appear on the legs and feet (body)
5. Remedy for leukorhea .
6. To treat cuts and infection around nails – clean the infected area and apply crushed leaves. 7 .To treat stomach ache – drink the concoction of dry and fresh henna.

Indians
.For Indians, the juice of henna leaves is used as astringent (contraction of organic tissue) that can prevent excessive bleeding . They also believe that gargling with henna juice can relief soar throat. They also use henna to treat skin diseases and pus .
. The Indians also use henna leaves to treat headache and hot feet.

Cultural Uses – As Body Painting

For centuries, mehndi — the art of henna painting on the body — has been practiced in India, Africa, South Asia and the Middle East, where the henna plant is believed to bring love and good fortune, and to protect against evil. Mehndi is traditionally practiced for wedding ceremonies, during important rites of passage, and in times of joyous celebration. A paste made from the crushed leaves of the henna plant is applied to the skin, and when removed several hours later, leaves beautiful markings on the skin that fade naturally over 1 to 3 weeks.

Mehdi on hand and feet

Henna's traditional decorating purposes vary from culture to culture. The most popular traditional use is tied closely with weddings and bridal preparation; these designs tend to be the most ornate, covering the most area. Other uses include the celebration of circumcision, pregnancy, birth, el Eid (the end of Ramadan), for good luck and protection from the evil eye and djinn (malignant desert spirits, or "genies"), female camaraderie and beauty. Depending on the culture, men may use it as well as women, usually for more symbolic purposes; masculine designs are generally very basic, simple and small in design.

The Night of the Henna(Malam Berinai) are celebrated by most groups in the areas where henna grew naturally: Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Zoroastrians, among others, all celebrated marriages by adorning the bride, and often the groom, with henna.

Women in India are traditionally painted henna on their hands and feet, insides of their arms and up their shins most often for a wedding, or other special occasion. Sometimes the chest, neck and throat will be tattooed. The subject matter is rather abstract, and often incorporates religious and auspicious symbols.

In Yemen, the bridal traditions were very complex, the Jewish bridal henna process took four or five days to complete, with multiple applications and resist work.

In Northern Libya and in North Indian the fashion of "Bridal Mehdi"i is currently growing in complexity and elaboration, with new innovations in glitter, gilding, and fine-line work.

In Malaysia henna body art has long been used during weddings among the Malays and Indians. Before the year1980s the Malay girls only apply henna to their fingers during their wedding. But now quite a number of woman apply henna only for the beauty of it.

In general applying henna during wedding is regarded as having “Barakah”, blessings, and is applied for luck as well as joy and beauty. Brides typically have the most henna, and the most complex patterns, to support their greatest joy, and wishes for luck.

In Morocco, henna is used during Id al-Adha, , circumcision and ‘Night of the Henna’ . These ritual actions defined a change of status for the lamb and sacrificer, the boy, and the bride. If the ritual was successful, the individual’s status changed from a lower position to a higher position in the community social hierarchy. These ritual People adorned the son, the family, and all the guests at the circumcision party with henna for circumcision. “Night of the Henna” was an elaborate family and community celebration for a bride prior to marital defloration. Villagers stated that the purpose of applying henna and patterns were to deter the “Evil Eye”, which imperiled the lamb, the sacrificer, the son, bride, guests, and onlookers.

In Cairo, Egypt, many working class citizens had their hands and feet dipped in henna to produce a solid covering, which differs from the common decorative design that is usually applied for weddings and other celebrations



Use as hair dye

Millions of Asian and African people regularly apply henna to their hair. In these regions, henna is inexpensive, readily available, and helps the cool the scalp in the hot summer months.

There is evidence that our beloved Prophet used henna to dye the hair. Al-Bukhari narrated that Uthman bin Abdullah bin Mawhab said “We came to Umm Salamah and she took out some of the Prophet’s hair that was dyed with henna. Also in the four books of Sunan (Abu Dawud, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasai’I and Ibn Majah’ , it is narrated that the Prophet said ‘henna and katam are the best of what you use to change the colour of white hair’.

Today a lot of muslim man and woman use henna to colour the grey hair.


Use as fragrance

The flower of henna can be used as fragrance.


Modern Uses of Henna

As body painting and tattoo

In the United States, henna is initially used as hair dye only. But in 1998, henna has been used as body art following the 1998 release of Madonna’s music video “Frozen”, when the “Om” patterns on her hands were viewed by millions of people who had never seen henna before. Henna kits and henna tattoos were suddenly the hottest impulse purchase everywhere. Mehndi of varying quality, with foolproof instructions and convenient stencils, can be purchased in many retail and online outlets.


Here are some pictures of people use henna as tattoos

Other Uses of henna

1. to dye the manes and hooves of horses, and to color wool, silk, and animal skins, as well as men's beards
2. The dye, which is permanent on fabric or wood, lingers anywhere from 2-12 weeks on skin, depending upon the quality of the henna, its reaction with an individual's skin and the care taken to preserve the design.
3. The flower of henna can be used as fragrance



References
[1-6]

[1]
[2] Al-Jauziyah I.I.Q., Healing with the Medicine of The Prophet, Darussalam 751 H.
[3] C. R. Metcalfe L.C., Anatomy of The Cotyledons, Oxford University Press., 1965.
[4] en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henna.
[5] Kochlar S.L., Tropical Crops - A Textbook to Economic Botany
Macmillan Publishers, 1986.
[6] Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia.