Kaempferia parviflora Wall. ex Baker
Local name: Kalahalood (Chakma), Cepaimba (Marma), Black Ginger
Latin name: Kaempferia parviflora Wall. ex Baker; Family (Zingiberaceae)
Synonym: Kaempferia rubromarginata (S.Q.Tong) R.J.Searle; Stahlianthus rubromarginatus S.Q.Tong
Description: A stemless, small, rhizomatous herb, up to 20 cm tall. Rhizome small, deep purple within. Leaves 1-several, 8-16 cm long, obovate to elliptic, slightly unequal sided, acute or acuminate, base, subcordate, peliole short, channeled. Flowers few in a sessile central tuft; corolla white; lip ovate-cuneate, emerginate, white with purple blotch at the middle.
Kaempferia parviflora Wall. ex Baker; Family (Zingiberaceae)
Distribution:
Thailan, Viet Nam. available in the homestead of tribal healers.
Parts used: (Rhizoma Kaempferiae Parviflorae)
Chemical Constituents: The chemical constituents from Kaempferia parviflora are consisting of 5,7-dimethoxyflavone, 5-hydroxy-3,7,4′-trimethoxyflavone and 5-hydroxy-3,7-dimethoxyflavone and almost major flavones compounds.
Ethnopharmacology:
- Black Ginger or Krachai Dam in Thai (Kaempferia parviflora) is an herbaceous plant belonging to the Zingiberaceae family. Since ancient time, it has traditionally been used as a health promoting, stimulating and vitalizing agent.
- This plant is very popular for using stimulate sexual performance mostly in male, have various products form viable in the market. In Thai traditional medicine this plant is one of all popular plant have been use for a long time.
Rejuvenation and sex enhancement
- Black Ginger has many interesting activity and the one of the most interest is sex enhancement and rejuvenation. Black Ginger contains substantial amounts of PDE5 inhibitors, which act like Viagra, and it also enhances sex performance by increase blood-flow to the testis and stimulates dopaminergic function in hypothalamus.
- Moreover, Black Ginger can help increasing sperm density and promotes health by its other effects such as adaptogenic activity, reducing triglycerides, preventing diabetes and etc.
Benefits:
- Aphrodisiac activity (enhance sexual desire, sexual motivation and sexual performance)
- Increase sperm density and increase condensation of lysosome in the basal part of Sertoli cells
- Antiplasmodial, antifungal and mild antimycobacterial
- Excellent antioxidant
- Anti-inflammatory
- Adaptogenic activity
- Anti-allergic activity
- Anticholinesterase activity (prevent and cure Alzheimer’s disease)
- Anti-gastric ulcer effect
- Antiobesity effects
- Anxiolytic and antidepressant effects.
Quality Control:
5,7-dimethoxyflavone and 5-hydroxy-3,7,4′-trimethoxyflavoneis is the flavones which are used for standardization of crude extract by HPLC fingerprints for control a quality.
Side effects:
Kaempferia has mild side effects which include underarm sweating and increased body temperature. More serious side effects on high doses include heart beat speeding and arrhythmia or irregular heart rhythm. This limits the usefulness of this herb in high doses.
Dosage and Safety
- Maximum dose depends on each country’s FDA restrict
- Should not use if under 25 years of age, who are diagnosed with Hypertension, tumors/cancer in Prostate and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH).
