Potential of Wild Ginger (Zingiber zerumbet) Rhizome Extract as Antioxidant and Antibacterial

Abstract

Indonesian people have long used wild ginger (Zingiber zerumbet) as an ingredient in traditional medicine and rituals. Its rhizomes have been shown to contain several bioactive compounds with antioxidant and antibiotic activity that are believed to be able to treat typhoid fever. This study aims to evaluate the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Z. zerumbet extract using ethanol and methanol as solvents. Z. zerumbet extract was purified, LC-MS tests were conducted to identify active compounds, phenolic and flavonoid content tests were conducted using colorimetry methods, DPPH tests were conducted to measure antioxidant activity, and Minimum Inhibitory Concentrations (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentrations (MBC) tests were conducted to measure antibacterial activity. LC-MS analysis proved that Z. zerumbet contains active compounds such as flavonoids with their derivatives, such as kaempferol, quercetin, myricetin, etc. Z. zerumbet with ethanol solvent had stronger antioxidant activity (IC₅₀ = 125.97 μg/mL) than methanol solvent (IC₅₀ = 404.91 μg/mL). In contrast, ethanol solvent had lower antibacterial activity than methanol solvent. The findings of this study show that the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Z. zerumbet depend on the solvent used and can be used as an alternative natural remedy for treating typhoid-related infections. This research supports the three goals of the SDGs by strengthening public knowledge of Z. zerumbet as a traditional medicinal ingredient, thereby improving disease control and the quality of public health through natural medicinal ingredients.