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The present study aimed to study the diversity of plants used by Phu Thai ethnic groups in Nakhon Phanom province, and to find out the correlation between genders, age, and indigenous knowledge of the Phu Thai groups. The data were analyzed by using independent-samples t-test, one way ANOVA, cultural importance index (CI), informant consensus factor (ICF), and fidelity level (FL %). The results showed that there were 329 plant species from 89 families used in the daily life by the Phu Thai.The largest number of plant species were from Fabaceae (42 species, 12.77 %), followed by Zingiberaceae (20 species, 6.07 %), and Poaceae (15 species, 4.56 %). One hundred and ninety nine species were edible and used for consumption, 176 species for medicine, 56 species for cultural purposes, and 79 for other uses. The highest informant consensus factor (ICF) of medicinal plants were calculated for injuries (ICF = 0.961) indicating the highest degree of agreement among the informants knowledge of medicinal plants used to treat disorders in this category. The highest fidelity level (FL %) values were calculated for Crinum asiaticum L. var. asiaticum (93.62%), showing the conformity of knowledge regarding use of this plant to heal ankle sprains and postpartum women.          The CI values were calculated for Oryza sativa L. (CI = 2.74), followed by Saccharum officinarum L. (CI = 2.64), and Cocos nucifera L. (CI = 2.57), respectively. The most frequently used parts of the plant were leaves (82 species; 21.20 %) followed by fruits (70 species; 17.99 %), and stems (46 species; 11.85 %). Tree was the most common plant habit (77 species; 26.50 %), followed by the herb (72 species; 22.90 %), and climber (34 species; 9.20 %). The plants were gathered from cultivated fields more than from the forest. The ethnobotanical knowledge listed by males and females did not differ significantly (p > 0.05). The older informants had significantly more knowledge of medicinal plant uses than younger informants (p < 0.05). The Phu Thai ethnic group used Oryza sativa L. to make glutinous fermented liquors called “U”. It contains a variety of plants such as Alpinia galangal (L.) Willd., Lepisanthes rubiginosa (Roxb.) Leenh., Albizia myriophylla Benth., Paederia linearis Hook. f. var. linearis, Saccharum officinarum L., Streptocaulon juventas (Lour.) Merr., Oroxylum indicum (L.) Benth. ex Kurz, Harrisonia perforata (Blanco) Merr., and Tacca leontopetaloides (L.) Kuntze.

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Abstract. Saensouk P, Saensouk S. 2021. Diversity, traditional uses and conservation status of Zingiberaceae in Udorn Thani Province, Thailand. Biodiversitas 22: 3083-3097. Southeast Asia is recognized as the center of Zingiberaceae distribution with Thailand is among the important regions. Nonetheless, a comprehensive study in a regional context that investigates the biological aspects of the family is lacking. This study aimed to determine the diversity, distribution, ecology, conservation status, and traditional uses of the family Zingiberaceae in Udorn Thani Province, northeastern Thailand. In total, three tribes, nine genera, 47 species of Zingiberaceae were identified during a botanical survey between January and December 2020 in Udorn Thani. Curcuma and Kempferia were the most diverse genera with nine and eight species, respectively, followed by Zingiber as the third most diverse genus with seven species and Alpinia as the fourth most diverse genus with six species. While the genera Etlingera and Hedychium were the least diverse with each containing just one species. For all Zingiberaceae species, the flowering period was found between March and September, while the fruiting period was found between May and October. Zingiberaceae was found with the greatest frequency in five ecosystem types, namely cultivated areas, deciduous dipterocarp forest, mixed deciduous forest, dry evergreen forest and river basin. Twenty-one species were reported as rare species in research area, i.e. Boesenbergia baimaii, B. isanensis, Kaempferia picheansoonthonii, and K. udonensis. It was revealed that the traditional uses of many Zingiberaceae species from villagers in Udorn Thani Province were most frequently used for medicine, food, ornamentals, rituals, spices, perfume and cosmetics. Rhizomes, roots, pseudostems, young inflorescences, inflorescences, young leaves, leaves and fruits were the parts of this plant used.

Objective: To identify and quantify the bioactive compounds, along with biological activities, of native Thai edible Zingiberaceae. Methods: The bioactive compounds evaluated were phenolic acids, flavonoid, vitamin C, curcumin, 6-gingerol, eugenol and essential amino acids; analyses involved HPLC and LCMS/MS. Antioxidant activities were assessed by DPPH and FRAP assays. Results: Zingiber officinale was the richest source of bioactive compounds, followed by Z. officinale, Alpinia zerumbet and Alpinia conchigera. Total phenolic content and total flavonoid contents ranged widely across these species (17 to 200 mg GAE/100 g DW and 17 to 66 mg RE/100 g DW). All the species studied possessed strong antiglycation properties, ranging from 82 to 98%, with strong positive correlations of total phenolic content and antioxidant activity. The contents of curcumin, 6-gingerol, eugenol and vitamin C were in the range of 1 to 26, 1 to 140 µg/ g DW, 5 to 1600 and 4 to 21 mg/100 g DW, respectively. Seven essential amino acids identified by using LCMS/MS were found in most samples studied ranging from 2 to 6752 µg/100 g DW. Conclusion: Z. officinale is an abundant source of bioactive compounds and antioxidant activity in all these samples. These plants are fresh sources for developing novel functional ingredients in either food or cosmetics.