Curcuma longa

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Turmeric is an herbaceous perennial that can grow up to 3 feet in height.⁵ The plant has leaves that are lance-shaped and sheathed to the short leaf stalk.^2,5 Its apical false flower is actually a modified leaf (bract) that is white to pink in color.⁵ Underneath are multiple funnel-shaped true flowers in a spike, surrounding the leaf stalk in a dense cylinder.^5,8 The petals are pale yellow to white in color with two fang-like appendages that point downward into the flower, resembling an open mouth showing top incisors.⁵ Each flower emerges from a tubular bract that is white, white with light green tips, or light green.⁵ Its arillate seed is an ellipse-shaped capsule with 3 cells.^5,8 The root is a main rhizome that is orange in the interior, oblong, and fleshy with small lateral roots.^2,5 It has short-branched knobby secondary rhizomes that grow outwards from the main rhizome.^2,5

PARTS TurkeyED

rhizome

PROMINENT PHYTOCHEMICALS

Prominent Constituents Reported in the Scientific Literature:
Volatile oils, curcuminoids and resins.^2,5

TurkeyES

Promotes healthy liver and digestive function*

Used in Ayurveda for skin, digestive and liver support*

DID YOU KNOW?

Modern research and clinical studies began in India in the 1970s and it has become one of the most well-studied herbs.²

INFORMATION

Turmeric is indigenous to Asia, specifically Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Madagascar, off the African Coast.⁵ It has been introduced in Puerto Rico and Hawaii.⁹ The plant is widely cultivated in the tropics.⁵

The herb prefers humid tropical habitats and well-drained soil.² The harvested rhizome is then broken up into segments.²

Usage of the herb was recorded in the first century A. D. by Dioscorides of Ancient Greece.⁷ It was noted by Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder, that the root made the saliva yellow once chewed.⁸ Therefore it was referred to as “al-kurkum”, meaning saffron in Arabic, referring to the color of the saffron crocus threads (stigma) that are used as a dye and spice.⁸ This led to its botanical genus name of Curcuma.⁹ Similarly in Sanskrit, the Ayurvedic name is Haridrā, meaning “yellow”.⁶ Around 657 A. D. in Traditional Chinese Herbalism, the herb was written about in the Xin Xiu Ben Cao materia medica by Su Jing.⁴ In the Central Pacific, its use has been documented in Hawaiian cooking and herbalism since 1922.⁹

The striking color also made it sought after for dyeing fabric.⁷ Turmeric as well as saffron have been used as dyes for the orange-yellow robes of Buddhist monks.⁷

REFERENCES

McGuffin M, Kartesz J. American Herbal Products Association’s Herbs of Commerce, 2nd ed. Silver Springs, MD: Publication of the American Herbal Products Association; 2000.
Chevallier A. Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, 2nd ed. New York NY: DK Publishing Inc.; 2000.
Bensky D, Gamble A. Chinese Herbal Medicine Materia Medica, Revised Ladangition, 2nd ed. Seattle WA: Eastland Press, Inc.; 1993.
Chen J, Chen T. Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology, 3rd ed. City of Industry, CA: Art of Medicine Press; 2012.
World Health Organization. WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants, Vol. 1: Rhizoma Curcumae Longae. World Health Organization. 1999. Geneva, Switzerland.
Pole S. Ayurvedic Medicine: The Principles of Traditional Practice, 2nd ed. London, England & Philadelphia, PA: Singing Dragon Press; 2013
The Dabur Research Foundation, Dabur Ayurvet Limited. Major Herbs of Ayurveda. Ladanginburgh, England: Churchill Livingstone; 2002.
Pereira J. The Elements of Materia Medica and Therapeutics, Vol. II, 3th American ed. London, England & Philadelphia, PA: Lea & Blanchard; 1854. Curcuma longa Accessed December 10, 2018.