Alpinia rafflesiana
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| Alpinia rafflesiana | |
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Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Zingiberales |
| Family: | Zingiberaceae |
| Genus: | Alpinia |
| Species: | A. rafflesiana
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| Binomial name | |
| Alpinia rafflesiana Wall. ex Baker
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Alpinia rafflesiana, commonly known in Malaysia as tepus telor, is a perennial herb belonging to the family Zingiberaceae.[1] It is native to peninsular Malaysia.[2]
Description
[edit]The herb typically grows 0.5 meters (1.5 ft) to 2 meters (6 ft) tall.[3] The leaves are hairless and smooth on the upper surface and have light velvety hairs on the lower surface and margins in an alternating arrangement.[2] It has an indeterminate inflorescence and is monoecious, with the female flower having 5 carpels and 5 stigmas and the male flowers having 5 anthers.[4][5] Flowers are bright orange colored, measure between 4 and 4 ½ cm long with dark orange bracts and boat-shaped lobes; they lack petals and have a lily-like fragrance.[citation needed] The fruits are small, round, green, fleshy and contain one seed.[3]
Ecology
[edit]Alpinia rafflesiana is found in the secondary forest and tends to grow from sea level to 1,200 meters.[1] This plant tends to grow best in environments with full to partial sunlight, and moist and fertile soil.[1] The A. rafflesiana species is dispersed by wind and water, and the species is pollinated by birds, bees and bats.[6][7]
Cultivation and uses
[edit]Alpinia rafflesiana is mainly cultivated as a medicinal crop,[citation needed] growing the best in an environment containing moist and nutritious soil with either partial or full sunlight.[1] The fruit of the A. rafflesiana plant is used as an anti-inflammatory and alternative cancer treatment by isolating cardamonin, a chemical that inhibits major signaling pathways found in inflammation and cancer.[8][failed verification] In neuroinflammatory disorders, the isolated cardamonin has been used to block the secretion of pro-inflammatory mediators.[9] Cardamonin isolated from A. rafflesiana has shown to be successful in treating ulcers, nausea and vomiting, bacterial infections, fungal infections, low blood sugar, indigestion, and anxiety.[10] The leaves, pseudo-stems, rhizomes, and fruit of the plant are used to produce essential oils with antimicrobial properties.[11] The leaves of A. rafflesiana are commonly used to shrink and drain boils through poultice application.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e "Useful Tropical Plants". tropical.theferns.info. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- ^ a b "Flora of Peninsular Malaysia Online - Newsletter subscription page". www.tfbc.frim.gov.my. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- ^ a b "Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- ^ "Alpinia rafflesiana". www.tfbc.frim.gov.my. Retrieved 2020-12-12.
- ^ Barrett, Spencer C. H. (2010-02-12). "Darwin's legacy: the forms, function and sexual diversity of flowers". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 365 (1539): 351–368. doi:10.1098/rstb.2009.0212. ISSN 0962-8436. PMC 2838255. PMID 20047864.
- ^ Benedict, John C.; Smith, Selena Y.; Collinson, Margaret E.; Leong-Škorničková, Jana; Specht, Chelsea D.; Marone, Federica; Xiao, Xianghui; Parkinson, Dilworth Y. (2015-10-29). "Seed morphology and anatomy and its utility in recognizing subfamilies and tribes of Zingiberaceae". American Journal of Botany. 102 (11): 1814–1841. doi:10.3732/ajb.1500300. hdl:2027.42/142322. ISSN 0002-9122. PMID 26507111.
- ^ Kress, W. John; Liu, Ai-Zhong; Newman, Mark; Li, Qing-Jun (January 2005). "The molecular phylogeny of Alpinia (Zingiberaceae): a complex and polyphyletic genus of gingers". American Journal of Botany. 92 (1): 167–178. doi:10.3732/ajb.92.1.167. PMID 21652395.
- ^ Ghosh, S.; Rangan, L. (June 2013). "Alpinia: the gold mine of future therapeutics". 3 Biotech. 3 (3): 173–185. doi:10.1007/s13205-012-0089-x. ISSN 2190-572X. PMC 3646104. PMID 28324376.
- ^ Chow, Yuh-Lit; Lee, Ka-Heng; Vidyadaran, Sharmili; Lajis, Nordin Haji; Akhtar, M. Nadeem; Israf, Daud Ahmad; Syahida, Ahmad (April 2012). "Cardamonin from Alpinia rafflesiana inhibits inflammatory responses in IFN-γ/LPS-stimulated BV2 microglia via NF-κB signalling pathway". Immunopharmacology. 12 (4): 657–665. doi:10.1016/j.intimp.2012.01.009. PMID 22306767.
- ^ Ma, Xiao-Ni; Xie, Chun-Lan; Miao, Zi; Yang, Quan; Yang, Xian-Wen (2017). "An overview of chemical constituents from Alpinia species in the last six decades". RSC Advances. 7 (23): 14114–14144. Bibcode:2017RSCAd...714114M. doi:10.1039/C6RA27830B. ISSN 2046-2069.
- ^ Jusoh, Shariha; Sirat, Hasnah Mohd; Ahmad, Farediah (September 2013). "Essential Oils of Alpinia Rafflesiana and Their Antimicrobial Activities". Natural Product Communications. 8 (9): 1934578X1300800. doi:10.1177/1934578X1300800933. ISSN 1934-578X.