Chemical constituents from Aframomum melegueta

Aframomum melegueta, commonly known as grains of paradise, Guinea grains, alligator pepper, melegueta pepper, or Guinea pepper, are mainly used in traditional West African medicine. Extracts of A. melegueta have been used to treat inflammatory disorders, stomach diseases, diarrhea, measles, hemorrhage, and leprosy, as well as tuberculosis and snakebites. Previous investigations resulted in the isolation and characterization of aromatic ketones, such as, paradols, shogaols, and gingerols. Phytochemical constituents from the more polar fractions of the methanol extract of A. melegueta were determined.