Cymbopogon Nardus From Malay Society Tradition Perspectives: An Analysis o f Chemical Composition Using Steam Distillation from Scientific Finding

Cymbopogon nardus (c. nardus) or fragrance lemongrass is a member of gramineae family which is well known for its citronella oil content that is commonly used as a natural fragrant oil, in insect repellents, as well as in beauty, household and perfumery products. c. nardus is one of the unique herbs that has been widely discussed in malay medical manuscript and has been consumed by malay practitioner as it possesses various anti biological activities such as anti fungal, anti bacteria and anti-inflammatory. in traditional system of medicine among malay traditional people, c. nardus has been used for the treatment of fever, muscle pain, and many kinds of illness. various uses shown by this herb and the tendency of high application of the herb among malay society has led us to study c. nardus according to the scientific perspective. therefore, the objectives of this study are to identify the morphology of c. nardus and its application from malay traditional’s perspectives, as well as to determine the active compounds present in the herb through scientific findings. two different parts of leaves and stems of c. nardus were extracted using steam distillation method for 2 hours. the chemical composition of citronella oil was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (gc-ms). an amount of 0.55 % and 0.024 % of citronella oil were extracted from leaves and stems parts, respectively. the main compositions of oil extracted from the leaves part are citronellol (41.4 %), methyleugenol (80.2 %), citronellal (39.7 %), d- limonene (40 %) and geraniol (36.5 %). meanwhile, the extraction from the stems composed of α-himachalene (45.34%), citronellol acetate (48.2 %), cis-geraniol (57.8 %) and endo- borneol (26.2 %). thus, it can be concluded that c. nardus leaves extraction yield higher citronella oil content as compared to stems and consist of different main chemical compositions between the two parts. apart from that, the results of this study also prove that the phytochemical content found in c. nardus has anti-fungal properties, capable of treating skin and sinus diseases, as being applied by malay traditional practitioners in 19m century. this suggests the wisdom of the malay community in adapting their life skills to the nature as they able to integrate all parts of fragrance lemongrass to be used as medicines.