Curcuma amada (Mango Ginger) – A Promising Indian Spice with Multiple Pharmacological Perspectives

Abstract

The rare spice mango ginger (Curcuma amada Roxb.) resembles ginger but tastes like raw mango. Mango ginger rhizomes are mostly used to make pickles and other food products. Mango ginger is valued in Ayurvedic and Unani medical systems as an alexteric, digestive aid, aphrodisiac, antipyretic, emollient, diuretic, laxative, and expectorant as well as a treatment for biliousness, itching, skin conditions, bronchitis, asthma, hiccups, and inflammation brought on by injuries. Mango ginger's biological effects include anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, cytotoxic, anti-platelet, hypotriglyceridemic, anti-allergic, analgesic, CNS depressive, and other biological effects (brine-shrimp lethal activity and bio pesticide). Starch, phenolic acids, volatile oils, curcuminoids, and terpenoids are some of the main chemical components. This review article highlights the main active ingredients found in C. amada as well as their biological functions, which may be significant from a pharmaceutical perspective.