Chemical Composition and Antibacterial Activity of Rhizome Oils FromHedychium coronariumKoenig andHedychium spicatumBuch-Ham

The essential oil obtained from rhizomes of Hedychium coronarium Koenig and Hedychium spicatum Buch-Ham. growing wildly in Kumaun region of central Himalaya were analysed by GC and GC-MS. Forty six compounds representing 98.7 % of H. coronarium oil were identified. The main components identified were linalool (29.3 %), limonene (20.3 %), trans-meta-mentha,2,8diene (12.9 %), γ-terpinene (8.9 %) and 10-epi-γ-eudismol (3.8 %).Thirty six compounds accounting 87.4 % of H. spicatum oil were identified.The major constituents were 1,8-cineole (17.6 %), α-eudesmol (17 %), 10-epi-γ-eudismol (9.7%), δ-cadinene (7.5 %), cubenol (6.9 %), germacrene D-4–01 (6.8 %) and γ-cadinene (5.4 %). H. coronarium oil was rich in monoterpene hydrocarbons while H. spicatum oil was rich in suquiterpene alcohols. Both the oils showed antibacterial activity against five pathogenic bacteria, viz. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruoginosa and Proteus vulgaris.