apothecary Posted June 30, 2007 So with all the recent shenanigans, I thought I would post this here instead of littering the other specific threads. Where's the "Instant Alpinia" at? Inhibitory effects of Alpinia speciosa K. SCHUM on the porphyrin photooxidative reaction. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?c...p;dopt=Citation ...The extract of Alpinia speciosa contains dihydro-5,6-dehydrokawain. It was confirmed that dihydro-5,6-dehydrokawain, which is a water-soluble compound, ... or this? (+)-(5S)-δ-Lactone of 5-hydroxy-7-phenylhepta-2,6-dienoic acid, a natural product from Cryptocarya caloneura (Scheff.) Kostermans JR Hlubucek and AV Robertson http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/CH9672199.htm AbstractThe structure, including absolute configuration, of a new compound extracted from Cryptocarya caloneura (Scheff.) Kostermans has been determined by degradation as the (+)-(5S)-δ-lactone of 5-hydroxy-7- phenylhepta-2,6-dienoic acid. The structure has been confirmed by synthesis of its racemate. Australian Journal of Chemistry 20(10) 2199 - 2206 Full text doi:10.1071/CH9672199 © CSIRO 1967 Biologically active flavonoids and kava pyrones from the aqueous extract of Alpinia zerumbet M. A. Mpalantinos 1 2, R. Soares de Moura 1 3, J. P. Parente 2, R. M. Kuster 2 * 1Instituto Vital Brazil S.A. Rua Vital Brazil Filho, 64 - Niterói - 24230.340 - RJ, Brazil 2Núcleo de Pesquisas de Produtos Naturais - NPPN/CCS - Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Bloco H - Ilha da Cidade Universitária 21941.590 - RJ, Brazil 3Departmento de Farmacologia - Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro, Avenida 28 de setembro, 87 - Rio de Janeiro - 20551-030 - RJ, Brazil *Correspondence to R. M. Kuster, Nucleo de Pesquisas de Produtos Naturais, NPPN/CCS, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Bloco H, Ilha da Cidade Universitária 21941.590 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin...=1&SRETRY=0 AbstractFrom the aqueous extract of Alpinia zerumbet (Pers) B. L. Burttet Smith. (= Alpinia speciosa K. Schum.) flavonoids and kava pyrones were obtained. The flavonoids identified as rutin (1), kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside (2), kaempferol-3-O-glucuronide (3), (+)-catechin (4) and (-)-epicatechin (5) are well known substances that can contribute to the hypotensive, diuretic and antiulcerogenic activity of the aqueous extract of the plant, while the kava pyrones dihydro-5,6-dehydrokawain (6) and 5,6-dehydrokawain (7) have been described as antiulcerogenic and antithrombotic. The compounds were identified from their UV, 1H- and/or 13C-NMR, hydrolytic and co-TLC data. The well known activity of these compounds, which have not been previously isolated from the leaves of Alpinia zerumbet, may explain the use of the plant in the treatment of hypertension. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhantomTurkey Posted July 3, 2007 Excuse my not knowing, but why bother with a substitute? Is kava illegal or likely to become illegal? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted July 3, 2007 there are two active threads discussing the situation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dqd Posted July 7, 2007 *BUMP* ... and back to the Alpinia speciosa .... anyone have more info/experience on this? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted July 7, 2007 the presence of these lactones is all fine and dandy, but useless if only in trace amounts. anyone have access to these papers so we can find out how much lactone they found in the speciosa? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Entheo Posted July 9, 2007 anyone have access to these papers so we can find out how much lactone they found in the speciosa? you mean Alpinia zerumbet dont you? http://www.rain-tree.com/shell-flower.htm Lets hope this uploading works ;) Biologically_Active_Flavonoids_and_Kava_Pyrones_of_Alpinia_zerumbet.pdf GC_MS_Determination_of_Kava_Pyrones_in_Alpinia_zerumbet_Leaves.pdf Biologically_Active_Flavonoids_and_Kava_Pyrones_of_Alpinia_zerumbet.pdf GC_MS_Determination_of_Kava_Pyrones_in_Alpinia_zerumbet_Leaves.pdf Biologically_Active_Flavonoids_and_Kava_Pyrones_of_Alpinia_zerumbet.pdf GC_MS_Determination_of_Kava_Pyrones_in_Alpinia_zerumbet_Leaves.pdf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Entheo Posted July 9, 2007 (edited) So with all the recent shenanigans, I thought I would post this here instead of littering the other specific threads. How about all these other species? Alpinia mutica http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin...932788/ABSTRACT 5,6-dehydrokawain isolated from A. mutica Inhibitory effects of compounds from Zingiberaceae species on platelet activating factor receptor binding. 2005. Phytotherapy Research, 18(12) 1005 - 1007. Alpinia nutans 5,6-Dehydrokawain, flavokawin-B, 1,7-diphenyl-5-hydroxy-6-hepten-3-one, (-)-pinocembrin and a mixture of stigmasterol and b-sitosterol were isolated. The Antioxidative Components from Alpinia nutans. 2003. Pharmaceutical Biology, 41, 7–9. Alpinia globosa http://english.vista.gov.vn/english/st_doc...08180848599564/ Beta-Sitosterol, stigmasterol and a minor compound 5.6-dehydrokawain were isolated from the ethanol extract of the rhizomes of Alpinia globosa, a medicinal plant of Vietnam. Phytochemical investigation of Alpinia globosa (Lour.) Horaninov, Zingiberaceae. 2004. TC Hoá học . Vol 42. -No 3. -p. 376-378. Alpinia rafflesiana http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=16376395 2',3',4',6'-Tetrahydroxychalcone, 5,6-dehydrokawain and other compounds DPPH free radical scavenger components from the fruits of Alpinia rafflesiana (Zingiberaceae) 2004. Zeitschrift für Naturforschung. C. A journal of biosciences v59, 811-815. Edited July 9, 2007 by Entheo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted July 9, 2007 somebody's got a library card thanks so much. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Torsten Posted July 9, 2007 you mean Alpinia zerumbet dont you?http://www.rain-tree.com/shell-flower.htm Lets hope this uploading works ;) First paper claims a 3:1 ratio between the kawains, while the second paper claims a 9:1 ratio. Interestingly this seems to be from the same plant specimen, so the difference is either due to extraction technique or due to seasonal variation. First paper claims a 30mg per kilo of fresh leaves. That would make it a 0.003%. Assuming these leaves dry down to about 30% we can adjust the kawain content to 0.01% of dry weight. Just for comparison, kava contains 4-10% lactones by dry weight. That's 700 times more than Alpinia. So if you need 20g for nice kava effects you would need 14 kilos of Alpinia for the same effect. Then again Alpinia is at least 100 times easier to grow than kava, so there may well be a trade off. All those numbers aside, I question the actual extraction technique. Water may be a good way to extract the other goodies they are looking for and it may also be representative of the traditional use which they are obviously trying to emulate, but it really isn't that good a solvent for kava lactones. ie, while the tea of Alpinia may not be that crash hot a kawain source, things might be quite different for a solvent extract. I also wonder if the roots might have more to offer in that regard. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
