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AbstractZingiber chrysanthumRoscoe is a traditional medicinal plant species sparsely occurring in Kumaun Lesser Himalaya, Uttarakhand. Seeds of this species were collected from wild populations and essential oil was extracted. This essential oil was phytochemically analyzed by GC/MS and various biological activities viz: antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial were also performed using standard protocols. More than 92 compounds were identified from essential oil of the seed. β-pinene (36.3 %) is identified as major product of the oil followed by α-pinene (9.3 %), limonene (5.4 %), γ-terpinene (5.0 %), (E)-caryophyllene (4.0 %), α-terpineol (3.6 %) and terpenin-4-ol (3.2 %) suggesting a greater efficacy of plant in flavor, decorative and non decorative cosmetic industry. The essential oil showed strong antioxidant activity in terms of DPPH (IC50=10.81±0.03 μL/ mL), metal chelating (IC50=16.84±0.46 μL/mL) and reducing power activity (RP50= 15.55±0.02 μL/mL). Anti-inflammatory activity in terms of protein denaturation (IB50=16.76±0.00 μL/mL) and a moderate antibacterial activity was also reported against the bacterial strains E. coliand S. aureusby the Z. chrysanthumseed essential oil.

AbstractZanthoxylum armatumDC. is a medicinally important deciduous shrub belonging to the family Rutaceae, which is widely distributed in Eastern and South Eastern Asia. The aim of the present study was to assess the chemical composition of essential oil of bark of Z. armatumcollected from three different altitudes of Kumaun region, Uttarakhand, India, and to determine antioxidant, in vitroanti-inflammatory and antibacterial activity of the essential oils. The plant material was subjected to hydro-distillation using Clevenger apparatus in order to obtained volatile oil and analyzed for its volatile constituents by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The antioxidant activity of the oils was assessed by three different methods viz. reducing power assay, DPPH assay and effect on Fe+2 chelating activity. In vitroanti-inflammatory activity was examined by inhibition of protein denaturation method and the antibacterial activity of essential oils was determined by agar-well diffusion method. The essential oils revealed the presence of α-pinene and 2-undecanone as the major constituents. Monoterpene hydrocarbons contributed largely in the bark volatile oil collected from Bhimtal, Dharchula and Pithoragarh with α-pinene dominated amount of 33.9 %, 28.92 % and 35.9 % respectively. Z. armatumbark essential oil, from Dharchula possessed highest reducing power (RP50=17.91±0.07) compared to ascorbic acid (RP50=13.16±0.16). The essential oil from Pithoragarh collection showed a strong in vitroanti-inflammatory effect (IB50=6.40±0.48) relative to the standard drug. The essential oils were evaluated for antibacterial potential against two bacteria Escherichia coliand Staphylococcus aureusand exhibited moderate antibacterial activity.