Zedoary, commonly known as white turmeric, has been a staple in treating fungal conditions, especially resistant mycoses. It’s not just a wonderful healing herb, but it’s also used for culinary purposes and perfumery as the starches that comprise zedoary are readily digested and its essential oil gives off a powerful fragrance. It’s often used for treating gastrointestinal disorders – spasms, indigestion, flatulence, hyperacidity, ulcers, lack of appetite. Zedoary also finds application in treating colds, asthma, coughs, skin disorders, urinary tract infections, ulcers, hyperacidity. It seems to be a good source of hydration for the skin. Zedoary regulates body temperature. It protects you from cancer, hypercholesterolemia and lipid disorders. It is said to purify blood and strengthen uterine muscles. Its external use is perfect for treating wounds.

Zedoary contains several very unique constituents that are quite synergistic in nature. Its powerful effects are attributed to sesquiterpenoids and curcuminoids. Curcuminoids are potent antiallergenic and anticancer constituents. Other species from the Curcuma genus hold tremendous potential as most of them are still very much unused and there is insufficient research done on them; this is mostly due to the fact that the majority of them are still not grown commercially.

Pinyin: E Zhu

Chinese: 莪

Latin (plant): Curcuma zedoaria

Latin (part): Zedoariae Rhizoma

Part used: root

Taste: not too bitter

Constituents: bitter substances, sesquiterpenoids, mucilage, tannins, flavonoids, curcuminoids, starches

Specific constituents: zederone, isocurcumenol, germacrone, furanodienone, curcumenol, dehydrocurdione, curzerenone, curmanolids A and B, curcumenone, 1,8-cineole, 5-epoxide, 1-germacrone-4, curcumol, curdione, curcumin, curcuzedoalide, zerumbone, zerumbone epoxide

Dosage: 1-12 g seems to be the norm, but honestly it doesn’t even matter because this root has barely any side effects. Do be wary if you suffer from any blood clotting disorder.

Safety: Zedoary contains up to 0.1 % of curcumin, making it a very safe source as high doses of curcumin have been found to be toxic. LD50 has been determined to be 147 g/kg, indicating its large safety threshold. Polysaccharide fraction has no mutagenic, genotoxic or clastogenic effect.

Potential benefits

Antimicrobial & Antifungal properties:

  • Potent against oral pathogens (Streptococcus mutans, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Candida albicans)
  • Extremely effective against Fusarium oxysporum (100% inhibition), making it the perfect candidate for your next plant insecticide.
  • Bactericidal effects towards Fusobacterium nucleatum, a bacterium that is key in contributing to periodontal disease.
  • Methanol extract is effective against Puccinia triticina, a wheat leaf rust.
  • Active against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Corynebacterium spp., Candida spp., Aspergillus spp., Aspergillus ochraceus
  • Sesquiterpene ketolactone is active against Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus pseudointermedius
  • Orobanone is active against Bacillus cereus

Insecticidal & Antiparasitic properties:

  • Essential oil is powerful enough to counter Aedes aegypti, also known as the yellow fever mosquito which is a host to several viruses
  • Potent against filariasis (disrupts Filarioidea parasites)
  • Its constituents are also active against Babesia parasites
  • Destroys larvae of mosquitos
  • Alcohol extract inhibits Entamoeba histolytica, the pathogen behind amoebiasis

Antiallergenic properties:

  • Potential ß-2-adrenoreceptor agonist, which could improve breathing and treat asthma (diarylheptanoids being the responsible constituents)
  • Inhibits release of beta-hexosaminidase

Anti-inflammatory properties:

  • Curcuzedoalide has a significant anti-inflammatory effect, inhibiting synthesis of nitric oxide (NO)
  • Inhibits COX-2 enzyme (alcoholic extract > water extract)
  • Curcumenol inhibits TNF-α, IL-6, NO; suppresses activation of NF-κB

Antithrombotic properties:

  • Several constituents have antithrombotic effects – these are 13-hydroxycurzerenone, ermanin, curcumin, curzerenone, curcolone, stigmast-4-ene-3,6-dione, stigmasta-4,22-dien-3,6-dione
  • Strong inhibitor of PAF (platelet activating factor)

Analgesic effects:

  • Curcumenol has strong analgetic effects together with dihydrocurdione; curcumenol seems to influence pain receptors

Anti-cancer properties:

  • Active against breast cancer, colon cancer, oesophageal cancer, ovarian cancer, stomach cancer, prostate cancer, lung carcinoma, lymphosarcoma
  • Long-term use may lead to increases of NO in macrophages that kill cancer
  • Curcuzedoalide activates caspases 3/8/9 and PARP that cause apoptosis of cancer cells
  • Zedoary is used successfully in China for treating tumors, especially cervical tumors, as it potentiates effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy
  • The presence of mannose-binding lectin makes zedoary one of the best herbs to treat HPV-related cervical cancer
  • Protects against tumorigenesis of skin and papilloma.
  • Lowers expression of Akt, mTOR, STAT3; modulates MMP-2; suppresses expression of Bcl-2

Hepatoprotective properties:

  • Most of the constituents are hepatoprotective
  • Water extract inhibits hepatic myofibroblast cells (hMF) that are responsible for fibrosis; it rapidly stimulates production of PGE2 and thus cAMP which inhibits hMF and increases protein expression of COX-2

Neuroprotective properties:

  • Curdione decreases size of the infarction tissue after stroke; improves neurological deficits; restores cognitive functions; restricts malondialdehyde increase; increases activity of SOD, CAT, GSH-Px; improves expression of Cyt-C, c-caspase-3, c-caspase-9, hinders cell apoptosis after injury
  • Curcumenol and dehydrocurdione are neuroprotective

Miscellaneous properties:

  • Inhibits snake venom and counters its effects, making it a potential antidote to neurotoxins and enzymes that degrade proteins
  • Inhibits expression of MMP-13; suppresses EGFR, Src, MAPKs/MAPKKs, Akt phosphorylation, thus protecting against photoaging and skin inflammation caused by UV-B radiation
  • Ethanol extracts combat diarrhea

References

To come later or upon request. I am in the process of transferring all my hand-written information into a digital form, so it might take a while.