GC-MS Metabolite Profiling of Curcuma aromatica Salisb. (Wild Turmeric) Rhizomes: Linking Traditional Ethnomedicinal Uses to Modern Antimicrobial Potential

Abstract

Curcuma aromatica Salisb. (wild turmeric) is an important medicinal plant valued for its therapeutic properties. In this study, the phytochemical composition of the essential oil extracted from rhizomes collected in Marngar, Ri-Bhoi district, Meghalaya, India, was characterised using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Hydro-distillation yielded 0.6–1.0% (w/w) essential oil, and GC–MS analysis identified 38 volatile compounds. The major constituents were camphor (19.26%), camphene (16.33%), sativene (14.68%), and epicurzerenone (14.31%), collectively accounting for 64.58% of the total oil composition. Compound class analysis revealed that monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes were the dominant constituents of the essential oil (report the corrected percentages after recalculation). Separately, the antimicrobial activity of methanol, acetone, aqueous, and hexane rhizome extracts was evaluated using the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) assay against selected bacterial and fungal pathogens. Methanol and acetone extracts exhibited the strongest antimicrobial activity, with MIC values ranging from 62 to 500 µg/mL, whereas aqueous and hexane extracts showed comparatively weaker activity. These findings demonstrate that C. aromatica possesses a chemically diverse essential oil with promising in vitro antimicrobial activity, supporting its potential as a source of bioactive compounds for further pharmacological investigation.