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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #355015
Research Project: Blueberry and Woody Ornamental Plant Improvement in the Southeast United States

Location: Southern Horticultural Research Unit

Title: Hedychium Essential Oils: Composition and Uses

Author
item Sakhanokho, Hamidou
item Rajasekaran, Kanniah - Rajah

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/10/2018
Publication Date: 4/2/2019
Citation: Sakhanokho, H.F. and K. Rajasekaran. 2019. Hedychium Oils: Composition and Uses. In: Malik, S.(ed.) Essential Oil Research: Trends in Biosynthesis, Analytics, Industrial Applications and Biotechnological Production. Springer International Publishing, Springer Nature Switzerland AG, pp 49-60.

Interpretive Summary: Hedychium species are perennial monocotyledonous plants belonging to the Zingiberaceae family. The genus Hedychium, often referred to as “Butterfly Ginger” “Garland Lily”, or “Ginger Lily”, is one of the most popular genera of the Zingiberaceae family because of its attractive foliage, diverse and showy flowers, and sweet fragrance., so Hedychium species are most often used as ornamental plants. Hedychium extracts are widely used in traditional medicine to treat a multitude of ailments while their essential oils have shown antibacterial, antifungal, and insecticidal proprieties. Because of these properties, Hedychium essential oils have the potential for use in plant-based formulations of preservatives to improve shelf life of stored food products.

Technical Abstract: Hedychium genus, composed of about 80 species, are multipurpose plants that are generally used as ornamental plants because of their showy, diverse, and scented colorful flowers. Hedychium extracts are widely used in traditional medicine to treat a multitude of ailments while their essential oils have shown antibacterial, antifungal, and insecticidal proprieties. Because of these properties, Hedychium essential oils have the potential for use in plant-based formulations of preservatives to improve shelf life of stored food products.