Rhizomes from 18 different species of the Zingiberaceae were screened for insecticidal constituents against
neonate larvae of the pest insect, Spodoptera littoralis. Extracts from rhizomes of Kaempferia rotunda and Zingiber
cassumunar, when incorporated into artificial diets, displayed significant insecticidal activity in chronic feeding
bioassays at concentrations of 2500 ppm and 1250 ppm, respectively. Bioassay-guided isolation afforded two phenylbutanoids
from rhizomes of Z. cassumunar which had LCso values against neonate larvae of 121 and 127 ppm, respectively, in the chronic feeding bioassay.