This is the second in the series, "A Handful of Wondrous Indian Medicinal Plants" as a logical sequence of "Ginger-A Versatile Healing Herb". Both ginger and turmeric belong to the same family, Zingiberaceae, as well as the elite group of spices originated in India that attracted the attention of the modern world for their proven healing qualities.
The ever increasing popularity of herbal drugs largely influenced the current reawakening of interest in alternative/traditional medicines all over the world primarily because of inadequacy of modern drugs in the socalled refractory diseases like amoebic dysentery, diabetes, degenerative disorders like arthritis, cancer, rheumatism, tuberculosis, etc. apart from lack of toxicity or side-effects and the low cost of most herbal compositions. The more recent trend of use of antioxidants as nutraceuticals stimulated further interest in the herbal products. The World Health Organization also encourages herbal drugs with proper safeguard that may even be the inescapable choice of the majority of rural masses in the developing countries like India with the functioning of the new patent regime from 2005.
Turmeric, one of the most popular spices, has been used since time immemorial as a colouring and flavouring agent for foods, cosmetics and dyestuff as well as a remedy particularly for stomach and liver ailments in the oriental medicines. Turmeric with various adjuncts are still employed with benefit as home remedies in India. Even today, turmeric is the best known herbal agent to promote bile acid secretion. Like ginger, the efficacy of turmeric particularly as a digestive aid, in gastrointestinal distress and diseases including gastric and peptic ulcers, inflammation and osteo-and rheumatoid-arthritis is well-documented.
Curcuminoids, the active constituents of turmeric, are well-recognized as well for their broad biological activity and safety of use in a host of maladies. Indeed clinical trials corroborated the efficacy of curcumin, as an anti-arthritic, anti-atherosclerotic, anti cancer (specially related to colon and prostrate) and anti-mutagenic, anti-inflammatory agent amongst others.
Turmeric, extensively used in India as a spice and in formulation of cosmetics. has been used in home remedies and in the Ayurvedic medicine for millennia. Some of the traditional uses of turmeric have stood the test of time. They have been corroborated by extensive modern research and clinical trials recognized by WHO.
India, the country of the origin of turmeric, is the largest producer and exporter of turmeric. It attracted the attention of the modern world for its proven healing properties particularly with the ever-increasing global interest in the herbal drugs.
I led the 'Second Haldighati Battle as it is called, when a patent on the use of turmeric for wound healing was given by United States Patent Office. The revocation of that US Patent put turmeric in a special focus as regards the protection of the traditional knowledge of the developing world. It also brought the medicinal uses of turmeric in India to special focus.
Council of Scientific & Industrial Research is keen to develop scientifically rationalized herbal therapeutics for the benefit of the common masses. All round R & D effort on the active constituents and their multitude of therapeutic uses of turmeric is creating a resurgence of interest in turmeric. India should be an obvious leader in this.
I congratulate Dr. S.C. Pakrashi for bringing out this book. His passion for the subject and his unparalleled commitment has made this possible. I also congratulate the editors for undertaking a very painstaking task. I thank my colleagues of the National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR) of CSIR for publishing this authoritative book.
I do hope that this valuable book covering all aspects of turmeric, including the worldwide patents, will benefit the specialists, researchers, entrepreneurs and the general public alike.
Curcuma longa L. syn. C. domestica Val., C. rotunda L., Amemum curcuma Jacq, 23, 39. 55, commonly known as turmeric, belongs to the family Zingiberaceae. The species should not be confused with C. xanthorrhiza Naves. Curcuma wenyujin Y. H. Lee et C Ling, C. kwangsiensis S. Lee et C.F. Liang and C. phaeocaulis Val. are also used as tumeric root-tuber sources in China¹2,
Dioscorides described turmeric as a root resembling ginger with yellow colour and bitter taste. Marco Polo while writing on his travel in China in 1280 AD described turmeric as "a vegetable which has all the properties of the true saffron as well as the color, and yet it is not really saffron". As a matter of fact, turmeric is often cofused as saffron due to its similar staining character though saffron, having a distinctive aroma imparts more orangish hue.
The dried and processed rhizome is known as Rhizoma Curcumae Longae popularly called turmeric. The turmeric of commerce is finger-like, scalded and dried rhizomes of C. longa L.
The origin of Curcuma longa is not known with certainty. It was presumed to have originated from South Asia and the cultivated species were then naturalized in some north-eastern parts of India and the island of Java (now Indonesia). However, India itself appears to be the more likely origin of turmeric (believed to be indigenous to Bihar, at the height of 4,000-5000 ft above the sea level) as would be evident from some of its international vernacular names, viz. Indian saffron (English), Safran des indes, Indischer Safran (German), Souchet des Indes (French), Acafrao da India (Portuguese), Azafran de la India (Spanish). The usage of turmeric can be traced back nearly 4000 yea years to the Vedic era in India.
Folkloric Background
Use of turmeric has been described in the Arabian, Chinese, Indian, Fijian and Vietnamese folk medicines for the treatment of asthma, boils, bruises, coughs, dizziness, epilepsy, haemorrhages, insect bites, jaundice, ringworm, slow lactation and urinary calculi.
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