Mango ginger facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mango ginger |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Curcuma
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| Species: |
amada
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| Synonyms | |
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Curcuma mangga Valeton & van Zijp |
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Curcuma amada, or mango ginger is a plant of the ginger family Zingiberaceae and is closely related to turmeric (Curcuma longa). The rhizomes are very similar to common ginger but lack its pungency, and instead have a raw mango flavour. They are used in making pickles in south India and chutneys in north India. It is served as chutney in community feasts in Nepal's southern plains. Mango ginger and elephant foot yam pickle is popular in Nepal's southern plains. The taxonomy of the species is a subject of some confusion as some authorities have considered the name C. mangga as identical while others describe it as a distinct species with C. mangga being found in southern India while C. amada is of east Indian origin. Mango-ginger is a popular spice and vegetable due to its rich flavor, which is described as sweet with subtle earthy floral and pepper overtones and similar to that of raw mango. It is a delicious addition to salads and stir fries. It is used in South Asian and Southeast Asian as well as Far East Asian cuisines.
Medicinal research
Curcuma mangga extracts have shown cytotoxic activities on the human cancer cell lines MCF-7 (a hormone-dependent breast cell line), KB (a nasopharyngeal epidermoid cell line), A549 (a lung cell line), Ca Ski (a cervical cell line), and HT-29 (a colon cell line). The extracts showed no cytotoxicity against the non-cancerous human fibroblast cell line MRC-5. It works as an antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. Ayurveda and Unani medicine have been using Curcuma Amada as a part of their herbal remedies for centuries as a starter, diuretic, laxative, expectorant and more. It is locally used and orally consumed to relieve cold and cough and bronchitis in some cases.
The biological activities of mango ginger include antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity, antifungal activity, anti-inflammatory activity, platelet aggregation inhibitory activity, cytotoxicity, antiallergic activity, hypotriglyceridemic activity, brine-shrimp lethal activity, enterokinase inhibitory activity, CNS depressant and analgesic activity. The major chemical components include starch, phenolic acids, volatile oils, curcuminoids and terpenoids like difurocumenonol, amadannulen and amadaldehyde.
Ethanolic extracts of mango ginger have been shown to have an antiallergic effect while the volatile oil didn't have any effect on allergic symptoms.
