Aromatic plants of tropical central Africa. Part XLIX⁺: Chemical composition of essential oils of the leaf and rhizome of Aframomum giganteum K. Schum from Gabon

The chemical composition of the essential oils obtained by hydrodistillation of the leaves and rhizomes of Aframomum giganteum K. Schum grown in Gabon were investigated by GC-FID and GC-MS. The major compounds in the leaf oil were found to be cis-pinocamphone (54%) and pinocarvone (10.1%), while the essential oil from the rhizomes is dominated by sesquiterpenes, namely β-caryophyllene (10.5%) and their oxygenated derivatives (40%). The antioxidant and the antiradical activity of both samples were evaluated. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.