Development and Evaluation of Ginger Oil-Enriched Medicated Ointment

The aim of this study is to develop and evaluate a novel medicated ointment formulation enriched with ginger (Zingiber officinale) oil. Fresh ginger rhizomes were processed and subjected to hydrodistillation, yielding 2.34% essential oil. Five different ointment formulations (F1-F5) were prepared with varying ratios of ginger to virgin coconut oil (5:95 to 25:75) using a systematic formulation approach. The optimized base contained white soft paraffin, beeswax, and cetyl alcohol as stabilizing agents. The formulations were evaluated for physicochemical properties including spreadability, hardness, viscosity, pH, and particle size distribution. Results indicated that F3 (15% ginger oil) exhibited optimal characteristics with spreadability of 7.5 ± 0.2 cm, hardness of 189 ± 4.8 g-force, and viscosity of 3680 ± 142 cP. Phytochemical screening revealed significant presence of bioactive compounds, with F3 showing optimal concentrations of gingerols (4.78 ± 0.25 mg/g) and paradols (3.12 ± 0.20 mg/g). Three-month stability studies demonstrated that formulations F1-F3 maintained consistent physical characteristics and bioactive compound retention (>95%) at room temperature, while F4 and F5 showed slight separation and reduced stability. DPPH radical scavenging activity remained highest in F3 (76.8 ± 1.6%) throughout the storage period. It can be concluded from this research that 15% ginger oil concentration provides better physicochemical characteristics and stability for therapeutic applications.