It is also used as antibiotic and insecticidal. The rhizome is bitter, thermogenic, aromatic, intellect promoting, laxative, diurectic, expectorant, antiinflammatory, aphrodisiac, anticonvulsant, nervine tonic and sedative tonic. The essential oil free alcoholic extract of the rhizome was found to possess sedative and analgesic properties and to cause a moderate depression of blood pressure and respiration. Asarones enhanced the anaesthetic activity of pentobarbital, hexobarbital and caused a fall in rectal temperature and also showed anti-convulsant action. It also decreased sociability score and had anti-cholinergic actions.
Indian oil has higher content of -asarone.
Besides asarone the oil also contains small amounts of sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpene alcohols. The Wealth of India , P.I.D., C.S.I.R., New Delhi. Sharma et al. Harborne, J.B and Baxter, H. eds. Taylor and Francis, London.