Curcuma amada, or mangoginger is a plant of the ginger familyZingiberaceae and is closely related to turmeric. The rhizomes are very similar to common ginger but have a raw mango flavour, they are supposedly closer to turmeric than ginger. They are used in making pickles in south India and chutneys in north India. The taxonomy of the species is a subject of some confusion as some authorities have considered the name C. mangga as identical while others describe it as a distinct species with C. mangga being found in southern India while C. amada is of east Indian origin. Mango-ginger is a popular spice and vegetable due to its rich flavor, which is described as sweet with subtle earthy floral and pepper overtones and similar to that of raw mango. It is a delicious addition to salads and stir fries. It is used in South Asian and Southeast Asian as well as Far EastAsian cuisines.
Medicinal research
Curcuma mangga extracts have shown cytotoxic activities on the human cancer cell lines MCF-7, KB, A549, Ca Ski, and HT-29. The extracts showed no cytotoxicity against the non-cancerous human fibroblast cell line MRC-5. It works as an antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant. Ayurveda and Unani medicine have been using Curcuma Amada as a part of their herbal remedies for centuries as a starter, diuretic, laxative, expectorant, aphrodisiac and more. It is locally used and orally consumed to relieve cold and cough and bronchitis in some cases. The biological activities of mango ginger include antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity, antifungal activity, anti-inflammatory activity, platelet aggregation inhibitory activity, cytotoxicity, antiallergic activity, hypotriglyceridemic activity, brine-shrimp lethal activity, enterokinase inhibitory activity, CNS depressant and analgesic activity. The major chemical components include starch, phenolic acids, volatile oils, curcuminoids and terpenoids like difurocumenonol, amadannulen and amadaldehyde. Ethanolic extracts of mango ginger have been shown to have an antiallergic effect while the volatile oil didn't have any effect on allergic symptoms.
