Chemical constituents of essential oil fromthe flower and fruits of Alpinia officinarum Hance

Flowers and fruits of Alpinia officinarum were extracted by hydrodistillation method to get the essential oil, whose chemical constituents were analyzed by GC-MS, and whose antimicrobial activities were assayed by filter disks. The results showed that contents of essential oil in fresh flowers and fruits of A. officinarum were 0.003% and 0.209%, respectively. The main constituents in its flowers were caryophyllene oxide (40.63%) and 茁-caryophyllene (11.14%), while those in its fruits were 琢-cadinol (41.20%) and 子-cadinol (22.88%). The essential oils from flowers and fruits of A. officinarum both had inhibitory effect on the growth of Staphyloccocus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MASR).