Chemical components and biological activities of volatile oil of Kaempferia galanga Linn.

Volatile oil of dried rhizome of Kaempferia galanga obtained by water distillation was determined for its chemical components using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The major chemical constituents were identified as ethyl-p-methoxycinnamate (31.77%), methylcinnamate (23.23%), carvone (11.13%), eucalyptol (9.59%) and pentadecane (6.41%), respectively. Antimicrobial activity of the volatile oil was tested against various microbes using agar disc diffusion method with the inhibition zones from 8.0- 31.0 mm. Brine shrimp toxicity of volatile oil exhibited an EC50 value of 26.84 μg/ml; whereas the volatile oil was inactive for antioxidant activity (IC50 >100 μg/ml).