a b s t r a c t
The essential oils obtained by hydrodistilation of the leaves and rhizomes of Zingiber officinale var. rubrum
Theilade were analysed by capillary GC and GC–MS. Forty-six constituents were identified in the leaf oil,
while 54 were identified in the oil from the rhizomes. The leaf oil was clearly dominated by b-caryophyllene
(31.7%), while the oil from the rhizomes was predominantly monoterpenoid, with camphene
(14.5%), geranial (14.3%), and geranyl acetate (13.7%) the three most abundant constituents. The evaluation
of antibacterial activities using the micro-dilution technique revealed that both the leaf and rhizome
oils were moderately active against the Gram-positive bacteria Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus spizizenii and
Staphylococcus aureus, and the Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas
stutzeri