Om Prakash, Sushil Joshi, A.K. Pant,* C.S. Chanotiya and C.S. Mathela,

Abstract: The GC and GC/MS analyses of the oils from the rhizome and leaves of Alpinia allughas led to identification of 22 and 42 constituents, respectively. The major constituents of the rhizome oil were β-pinene (55.3%) and α-pinene (9.7%) whereas in the leaf oil β-pinene (25.5%), 1,8-cineole(23.3%) and α-humulene (9.7%) were major. The unique feature is the dominant presence of two pinenes (rhizome (65%) and leaf (30.9%)) unlike other species of Alpinia

The members of family Zingiberaceae have been subjected to extensive chemical and pharmaceutical investigations because of their use in Indian and oriental medicines and as spices and food-flavoring agents (1). Although plants of family Zingiberaceae grow throughout India, the North-Eastern Indian region is rich in of Zingiber floral diversity comprising about 75% of the total taxa found all over the country (2). As part of chemical screening of the Zingiberaceae of Himalayan region (3–6), we have investigated the chemistry of essential oils from rhizomes and leaves of Alpinia allughas. The literature search revealed no reports on the oil composition, except for a preliminary report (7). We now report the comparative chemical composition of aerial and underground part of A. allughas. Alpinia allughas Roscoe. (Zingiberaceae) is an herb with an elongate leafy stem and horizontal root stocks, with oblong or lanceolate leaves. The flowers are found in terminal, racemes or panicles, braceolate, large, sometimes enveloping the buds. It also possesses a loosely tubular calyx, three toothed, cylindric corolla tube, rarely longer than the calyx, oblong or linear oblong, corolla lobes upper usually broader and more convex than the lateral, one perfect, stamen, a flattened filament, anther cells diversing at the top, occasionally with an orbicular crest, lateral stamenoides minute or obsolete. A spreading lip, often orbicular with incurved margins, sometimes with two subulate processes at the base of the claw. A three celled ovary, few ovules or many on each placenta, a filiform style, a subglobose stigma, globose fruit, dry or fleshy, usually indehiscent, with globose or angled seeds (8).