SUNTHI

India is a country, which is full of medicinal herbs and plants. In our daily life we use medicinal plants as a flavoring agent, species etc. Sunthi is one of them and it is used as a kitchen ingredient as a species in food. Botanically this plant is Zingiber officinale and it belongs to zingiberaceae family. It is a very important medicinal plant and cultivated throughout India. It is an erect perennial herb and also an aromatic rhizome. In India it is used or in food. It found in many countries such as India, Mexico, china, west indies etc. it is the most common drug used in Ayurveda and it is very useful in digestive disorder. In Ayurveda Sunthi is described as mahaushadi which means great.

Synonyms of Sunthi are nagar, adraka, sonth, katuyaka, katu ushnam, katu granthi, visva, sunth etc. Stem of this plant is erect and 15-150cm in tall. Leaves are sub-sessile, linear-lanceolate, glabrous and 15-30cm long. Flowering and fruiting occur between July to September. In India it is cultivated in Karnataka, kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana.

Rasa of Sunthi is katu, guna is guru and tikshana, virya is ushna and vipak is madhur.

Phytoconstituents in Sunthi

curcumene, β curcumene, β bourbornene, d-borneal, citral, d-camphene, citronellol, geraniol, gingerol, α & β- Zingiberenes, zingiberol, zingerone, gingirols, paradol, gingerenone A, ginger glycolipids A, B, & C; [6] gingerdiol; gingerone B & C etc.

Pharmacological activities:

Respiratory disorder

It helps to clear the throat. Decoction or tea of ginger helps to treat cough and cold.

Anti- inflammatory

It is a non-steroidal anti inflammatory drug. It helps to lower the inflammation respiratory tract. It inhibits the synthesis of pro inflammatory cytokines. It is also useful in the treatment of allergic disease.

Anti- microbial action

Ginger contains 6- gingerol, 8- gingerol and 10- gingerol which inhibit the microbial activity.

Digestive disorder

Ginger is useful in stomach related disorders such as indigestion, stomachache etc. infusion or decoction is very useful in digestive disorders.

Helpful in nausea and vomiting

Ginger is helpful to reduce the symptoms of nausea in pregnant women. It also helps to reduce morning sickness.

Weight loss

In many studies it is mentioned that ginger helps to cure obesity by reducing overall body mass index. Ginger water helps to burn the calories and reduce inflammation.