Plants of the Genus Zingiber as a Source of Bioactive Phytochemicals: From Tradition to Pharmacy
Mehdi Sharifi-Rad,
Elena Maria Varoni,
Bahare Salehi,
Javad Sharifi-Rad,
Karl R. Matthews,
Seyed Abdulmajid Ayatollahi,
Farzad Kobarfard,
Salam A. Ibrahim,
Dima Mnayer,
Zainul Amiruddin Zakaria,
Majid Sharifi-Rad,
Zubaida Yousaf,
Marcello Iriti,
Adriana Basile,
Daniela Rigano
Affiliations
Mehdi Sharifi-Rad
Department of Medical Parasitology, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol 61663335, Iran
Elena Maria Varoni
Department of Biomedical, Surgical and Dental Sciences, Milan State University, 20133 Milan, Italy
Bahare Salehi
Zabol Medicinal Plants Research Center, Zabol University of Medical Sciences, Zabol 61615585, Iran
Javad Sharifi-Rad
Phytochemistry Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 11369, Iran
Karl R. Matthews
Department of Food Science, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA
Seyed Abdulmajid Ayatollahi
Phytochemistry Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 11369, Iran
Farzad Kobarfard
Phytochemistry Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 11369, Iran
Salam A. Ibrahim
Food Microbiology and Biotechnology Laboratory, 171 Carver Hall, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, North Carolina A & T State University, Greensboro, NC 27411, USA
Dima Mnayer
Faculty of Agricultural Engineering and Veterinary Medicine, Lebanese University, Dekwaneh, Beirut 6573, Lebanon
Zainul Amiruddin Zakaria
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
Majid Sharifi-Rad
Department of Range and Watershed Management, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Zabol, Zabol 98615538, Iran
Zubaida Yousaf
Department of Botany, Lahore College for Women University, Jail Road Lahore 54000, Pakistan
Marcello Iriti
Department of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Milan State University, 20133 Milan, Italy
Adriana Basile
Department of Biological Sciences—Plant Biology Section, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80126 Naples, Italy
Daniela Rigano
Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, via D. Montesano 49, 80131 Naples, Italy
Plants of the genus Zingiber (Family Zingiberaceae) are widely used throughout the world as food and medicinal plants. They represent very popular herbal remedies in various traditional healing systems; in particular, rhizome of Zingiber spp. plants has a long history of ethnobotanical uses because of a plethora of curative properties. Antimicrobial activity of rhizome essential oil has been extensively confirmed in vitro and attributed to its chemical components, mainly consisting of monoterpene and sesquiterpene hydrocarbons such as α-zingiberene, ar-curcumene, β-bisabolene and β-sesquiphellandrene. In addition, gingerols have been identified as the major active components in the fresh rhizome, whereas shogaols, dehydrated gingerol derivatives, are the predominant pungent constituents in dried rhizome. Zingiber spp. may thus represent a promising and innovative source of natural alternatives to chemical food preservatives. This approach would meet the increasing concern of consumers aware of the potential health risks associated with the conventional antimicrobial agents in food. This narrative review aims at providing a literature overview on Zingiber spp. plants, their cultivation, traditional uses, phytochemical constituents and biological activities.
