Curcuma longa

Navigation
Read community contributed articles on biodiversity & environment || Cultural practices & mythological stories related to Indian biodiversity || Official documents related to environment || NGOs, Blogs and Websites || Environment-related video collection || Plants of India || Mammals of India || Facebook || Twitter

Share this page: Curcuma longa

Tweet

A close-up picture of Turmeric rhizome
Species name: Curcuma longa

Curcuma longa or Turmeric is a plant with high medicinal and cultural value in India. The rhizome of the plant has medicinal properties. The dried root is ground into a powder which is used on several religious occasions in Hinduism. India is the largest producer of Turmeric in the world. (Adapted from Wikipedia)

Click here to see all Semantic Properties associated with this page

Please note that the above slideshow is automatically created by searching Flickr and does not contain manually curated images. Hence, it is likely that some images may not be exactly of Curcuma longa.


Click on the tabs below to know more...

• Species identity and nomenclature
• Current Wikipedia entry
• Binomial Classification
• Morphological features
• Habitat and Geographical Spread
• Maps
• Medicinal Importance
• Cultural significance
• Commercial importance and cultivation
• Summary of PubMed articles
• Summary of NCBI molecular data
• External Links
• Images and Videos

Parameter	Value(s)	References See complete references in the References section at the end
Names of users who have contributed to this species page	Gauravm
Date on which this page was first created	2010/08/14
This page was last modified on:	8 September 2010 17:53:15
Name of the species	Curcuma longa
ID on Encyclopedia of Life
Synonyms	Please check Binomial Classification section for synonyms.
Common English Names	Common Turmeric
Common Hindi Names	हल्दी Haldi
Common Indian names	হালধি, Halodhi (Assamese); হলুদ Halud (Bengali); હળદર Haldar (Gujarati); हल्दी Haldi (Hindi); Arishina, Arisina (Kannada); മഞ്ഞള്‍, Manjal (Malayalam); हळद Halad (Marathi); हल्दी Haldi (Nepali); Haladi (Oriya); Haridra, Marmarii (Sanskrit); மஞ்சள் Manjal (Tamil); హరిద్ర, Haridra (Telugu); Haldi, ہلدی (Urdu)	Flowers of India
Origins/Meanings of the common names

Taxonomy from Encyclopedia of Life

If nothing is displayed in this section, it means the EoL ID has not been defined. Please click on Edit with form button on top and follow the instructions for filling in the EoL ID

{{#EoLOnlyHierarchy:}} 

Taxonomy filled in form

Angiosperm phylogeny. This image is copyrighted. Rights owned by Theodore C.H.Cole (Heidelberg) and Hartmut H. Hilger (Berlin) 2010. Please obtain copyright permissions before reuse.
Click here for the PDF of the phylogeny

Taxon	Value
Regnum (Kingdom)	Plantae
Division	Magnoliophyta
Class	Liliopsida
Order	Zingiberales
Family	Zingiberaceae
Genus	Curcuma
Source of data	Encyclopedia of Life

Other closely related species

Species Division Common name Common Hindi name Aloe vera Aloe vera, Medicinal aloe, Burn plant Gheekumari घीकुमारी Acacia nilotica Arabic Gum, Black Piquant, Egyptian thorn, Prickly acacia बबूल Babool,कीकर Kikar Saraca indica Ashoka अशोक Ashok … further results

Division	Taxon details	Taxon morphology details
Magnoliophyta	Also called Angiospermae. The ancestors of flowering plants diverged from gymnosperms around 245–202 million years ago, and the first flowering plants known to exist are from 140 million years ago. They diversified enormously during the Lower Cretaceous and became widespread around 100 million years ago, but replaced conifers as the dominant trees only around 60-100 million years ago.	These are seed plants like Gymnosperms, but can be differentiated by the presence of flowers, seeds containing endosperm and seeds that produce a fruit. Angiosperms are the most diverse and highly evolutionarily successful group of land plants.

Species Class Common name Common Hindi name Aloe vera Liliopsida Aloe vera, Medicinal aloe, Burn plant Gheekumari घीकुमारी Zingiber rubens Liliopsida Bengal Ginger Elettaria cardamomum Liliopsida Cardamom, Green cardamom इलाएची Elaichi … further results

Class	Taxon details	Taxon morphology details
Liliopsida	Liliopsida is considered the scientific name for monocots, but monocots may be called differently based on different taxonomic classification systems. Based on chloroplast DNA sequences, the divergence date between monocots and dicots is estimated to be ~200 million years, with a 40 million years uncertainty. There are ~50000-60000 species of monocots, with the largest family being Orchidaceae (orchids) consisting of ~20000 species. The true grasses (Poaceae) are the most economically important family, with 70% of the crops being cultivated belonging to this family.	The following features distinguish monocots from dicots - 1) Three flower parts in each flower (vs 4-5 in dicots) 2) One pore in pollen (vs 3) 3) One cotyledon (vs 2) 4) Vascular bundles in stem scattered (vs concentric circles) 5) Adventitious roots (vs radicle-origin) 6) Parallel venation (vs reticulate) These broad distinguishing features indeed have some exceptions

Species Order Common name Common Hindi name Zingiber rubens Zingiberales Bengal Ginger Elettaria cardamomum Zingiberales Cardamom, Green cardamom इलाएची Elaichi Curcuma longa Zingiberales Common Turmeric हल्दी Haldi … further results

Species Family Common name Common Hindi name Zingiber rubens Zingiberaceae Bengal Ginger Elettaria cardamomum Zingiberaceae Cardamom, Green cardamom इलाएची Elaichi Curcuma longa Zingiberaceae Common Turmeric हल्दी Haldi … further results

Family	Taxon details	Taxon morphology details
Zingiberaceae	Zingiberaceae split off from the genus Costaceae ~79 or ~100 million years ago, based on two estimates (Kress06,Janssen04). The family consists of over 93 genera and over 2000 different species, with the center of diversity in South-East Asia.	Small to large herbaceous plants, distichous leaves with basal sheaths that overlap to form a pseudostem. Plants are either self-supporting or epiphytic. Flowers are hermaphroditic, usually strongly zygomorphic (bilateral symmetry), in determinate cymose inflorescences, with conspicuous, spirally arranged bracts. The perianth is composed of two whorls, a fused tubular calyx, and a tubular corolla with one lobe larger than the other two. Flowers typically have two of their stamenoids (sterile stamens) fused to form a petaloid lip, and have only one fertile stamen. The ovary is inferior and topped by two nectaries, the stigma is funnel-shaped.

Species Genus Common name Common Hindi name Curcuma longa Curcuma Common Turmeric हल्दी Haldi Curcuma zedoaria Curcuma White turmeric, Zedoary जंगली हऴदी Jangli Haldi

Based on classification

Family	Taxon details	Taxon morphology details
Zingiberaceae	Zingiberaceae split off from the genus Costaceae ~79 or ~100 million years ago, based on two estimates (Kress06,Janssen04). The family consists of over 93 genera and over 2000 different species, with the center of diversity in South-East Asia.	Small to large herbaceous plants, distichous leaves with basal sheaths that overlap to form a pseudostem. Plants are either self-supporting or epiphytic. Flowers are hermaphroditic, usually strongly zygomorphic (bilateral symmetry), in determinate cymose inflorescences, with conspicuous, spirally arranged bracts. The perianth is composed of two whorls, a fused tubular calyx, and a tubular corolla with one lobe larger than the other two. Flowers typically have two of their stamenoids (sterile stamens) fused to form a petaloid lip, and have only one fertile stamen. The ovary is inferior and topped by two nectaries, the stigma is funnel-shaped.

More details can be found in the Binomial Classification section.

Morphology from Encyclopedia of Life

If nothing is displayed in this section, it means the EoL ID has not been defined. Please click on Edit with form button on top and follow the instructions for filling in the EoL ID

{{#EoLOnlyDescription:}} 

General morphology

Parameter	Value(s)	References See complete references in the References section at the end
General morphological features of the plant	Plants ca. 1 m tall. Rhizomes many branched, orange or bright yellow, cylindric, aromatic; roots tuberous at tip. Petiole 20-45 cm; leaf blade green, oblong or elliptic, 30-45 cm long, 15-18 cm wide, glabrous, base attenuate, apex shortly acuminate. Inflorescences terminal on pseudostems; peduncle 12-20 cm; spike cylindric, 12-18 cm long, 4-9 cm wide; fertile bracts pale green, ovate or oblong, 3-5 cm, apex obtuse; coma bracts spreading, white and green, sometimes tinged reddish purple, apex acute. Calyx white, 0.8-1.2 cm long, puberulent, apex unequally 3-toothed. Corolla pale yellow; tube to 3 cm; lobes deltoid, 1-1.5 cm, central one larger, apex mucronate. Lateral staminodes shorter than labellum. Labellum yellowish with central, yellow band, obovate, 1.2-2 cm. Anther spurred at base. Ovary sparsely hairy."Plants ca. 1 m tall. Rhizomes many branched, orange or bright yellow, cylindric, aromatic; roots tuberous at tip. Petiole 20-45 cm; leaf blade green, oblong or elliptic, 30-45 cm long, 15-18 cm wide, glabrous, base attenuate, apex shortly acuminate. Inflorescences terminal on pseudostems; peduncle 12-20 cm; spike cylindric, 12-18 cm long, 4-9 cm wide; fertile bracts pale green, ovate or oblong, 3-5 cm, apex obtuse; coma bracts spreading, white and green, sometimes tinged reddish purple, apex acute. Calyx white, 0.8-1.2 cm long, puberulent, apex unequally 3-toothed. Corolla pale yellow; tube to 3 cm; lobes deltoid, 1-1.5 cm, central one larger, apex mucronate. Lateral staminodes shorter than labellum. Labellum yellowish with central, yellow band, obovate, 1.2-2 cm. Anther spurred at base. Ovary sparsely hairy." cannot be used as a page name in this wiki.	EoL through Plants of Tibet

Seed dispersal mechanism
Bloom type	Perennial
Life cycle of the plant

How to identify this species

For a detailed description, refer to the General Morphology details above

Parameter	Value(s)	References See complete references in the References section at the end
Type of plant	Herb
Plant height	3 feet to 6 feet	EoL through Plants of Tibet
Flower color	White	Gauravm,based on images
Flower shape
Floral symmetry
Phyllotaxy of leaves	Opposite
Leaf shape	Oblong	EoL
Is the leaf petiolated or sessile?	Petiolated	EoL
Is the leaf simple or compound?	Simple	Based in images

Parameter	Value(s)	References See complete references in the References section at the end
IUCN Conservation Status	Not Evaluated	EoL
Indian States in which the species has been documented	Assam,Andhra Pradesh,Bihar,Chhatisgarh,Goa,Karnataka,Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra,Meghalaya,Orissa,Sikkim,Tamil Nadu,Uttar Pradesh,West Bengal	Plant Database of India
Locations at which the species has been documented	Amaravati;Bangalore;Bhopal;Chamoli;Champaran;Goa;Gorakhpur;Guntur;Jowai;Kolhapur;Lakhimpur;Madras;Mundage;Nagpur;Osmanabad;Raipur;Salem;South Arcot;Tambaram;Tiruchi;Udupi;Varanasi	Plant Database of India
Biotic zones inhabited	Eastern Ghats, Western Ghats, Central Deccan Plateau, Indo-Gangetic Plain	Gauravm
Details about the habitat	Cultivated, Cultivated fields and Plains, Fields,Gardens, Kitchen gardens,Shaded moist places & Rocky Cliffs in primary forests	Plants Database of India
Is this species native to India?	Yes	GRIN,EoL
Is the species indigenous/endemic to Sub-Himalayan regions?
Is the species indigenous/endemic to Western Ghats?	Yes	GRIN,EoL
Is the species indigenous/endemic to Eastern Ghats?	Yes	GRIN,EoL

More plants native to India Species name Common name Common Hindi name Plant type Native plant Biotic zone Abelmoschus moschatus Okra, Abelmosk, Ambrette seeds, Annual hibiscus, Bamia Moschata, Galu Gasturi, Muskdana, Musk mallow, Musk okra, Musk seeds, Ornamental okra, Rose mallow seeds, Tropical jewel hibiscus, Yorka okra मुश्कदाना Mushkdana, कस्तूरीदाना Kasturi-dana, जंगली भिंडी Jangli bhindi Acacia concinna Soap pod शिकाकाई Shikakai Woody (Tree/Shrub) Northeastern Himalayas Eastern Ghats Western Ghats Central Deccan Plateau East Coast West Coast Indo-Gangetic Plain Acrostichum aureum Golden leatherfern, Mangrove fern Fern Northeastern Himalayas Eastern Ghats East Coast Indo-Gangetic Plain Outlying Islands Aegle marmelos Bel, Beli fruit, Bengal quince, Stone apple, Wood apple बेल Bel Allium sativum Cultivated Garlic लेह्सन Lehsan … further results

If no maps are displayed below, it means the required data is absent. Click on "Edit with form" button on top of the page to add this information.
{{#generateMap:Assam,Andhra Pradesh,Bihar,Chhatisgarh,Goa,Karnataka,Madhya Pradesh,Maharashtra,Meghalaya,Orissa,Sikkim,Tamil Nadu,Uttar Pradesh,West Bengal|Curcumalonga_brahma.svg|align=center}}

Loading map...

{"minzoom":false,"mappingservice":"googlemaps3","type":"ROADMAP","geoservice":"geonames","types":["ROADMAP","SATELLITE","HYBRID","TERRAIN"],"maxzoom":false,"width":"auto","height":"350px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","visitedicon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"wmsoverlay":false,"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":false,"layers":[],"controls":["pan","zoom","type","scale","streetview"],"zoomstyle":"DEFAULT","typestyle":"DEFAULT","autoinfowindows":false,"resizable":false,"kmlrezoom":false,"poi":true,"markercluster":false,"tilt":0,"imageoverlays":[],"kml":[],"gkml":[],"fusiontables":[],"searchmarkers":"","enablefullscreen":false,"locations":[{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EAmaravati\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Amaravati\n","link":"","lat":16.5729831,"lon":80.3575128,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EBangalore\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Bangalore\n","link":"","lat":12.9715987,"lon":77.5945627,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EBhopal\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Bhopal\n","link":"","lat":23.2599333,"lon":77.412615,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EChamoli\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Chamoli\n","link":"","lat":30.2937439,"lon":79.560344,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EChamparan\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Champaran\n","link":"","lat":21.0358098,"lon":81.9234712,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EGoa\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Goa\n","link":"","lat":15.2993265,"lon":74.123996,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EGorakhpur\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Gorakhpur\n","link":"","lat":29.4438165,"lon":75.6702647,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EGuntur\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Guntur\n","link":"","lat":16.3066525,"lon":80.4365402,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EJowai\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Jowai\n","link":"","lat":25.450902,"lon":92.2089109,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EKolhapur\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Kolhapur\n","link":"","lat":16.7049873,"lon":74.2432527,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003ELakhimpur\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Lakhimpur\n","link":"","lat":27.9490794,"lon":80.7824012,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EMadras\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Madras\n","link":"","lat":13.0826802,"lon":80.2707184,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EMundage\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Mundage\n","link":"","lat":20.8495748,"lon":75.0523534,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003ENagpur\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Nagpur\n","link":"","lat":21.1458004,"lon":79.0881546,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EOsmanabad\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Osmanabad\n","link":"","lat":18.1860659,"lon":76.0419409,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003ERaipur\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Raipur\n","link":"","lat":21.2513844,"lon":81.6296413,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003ESalem\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Salem\n","link":"","lat":11.664325,"lon":78.1460142,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003ESouth Arcot\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"South Arcot\n","link":"","lat":12.904441,"lon":79.3191576,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003ETambaram\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Tambaram\n","link":"","lat":12.9229153,"lon":80.1274558,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003ETiruchi\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Tiruchi\n","link":"","lat":10.7904833,"lon":78.7046725,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EUdupi\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Udupi\n","link":"","lat":13.3408807,"lon":74.7421427,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""},{"text":"\u003Cp\u003EVaranasi\n\u003C/p\u003E","title":"Varanasi\n","link":"","lat":25.3176452,"lon":82.9739144,"alt":0,"address":"","icon":"","group":"","inlineLabel":"","visitedicon":""}]}

Parameter	Value(s)	References See complete references in the References section at the end
Does this species have any medicinal use?	Yes

Other plants of the same family having medicinal use: Species name Common name Common Hindi name Family Ailment type Medicinal use description Alpinia allughas Tara Tara (Bengali) Zingiberaceae The plant is used in Chinese folk medicine Alpinia calcarata Snap Ginger, Cardamom ginger, Indian ginger कुलंजन Kulanjan Zingiberaceae Pains and Inflammation Alpinia calcarata is used atleast in Sri Lanka as a folk medicine for pain relief. Some studies from University of Colombo have tried to study the effect of ethanolic extracts and hot water extracts on reproductive competence and pain relief in rats. Curcuma longa Common Turmeric हल्दी Haldi Zingiberaceae Infectious diseases Accidents Pains and Inflammation Common ailments Systemic disorders Organ-specific disorders Cancer Although several studies have shown efficacy of using turmeric for many diseases, reliable scientific evidence is lacking for many conditions. The important active component is a polyphenol called Curcumin. It has been shown to have antioxidant, antibiotic, antitumor, antiamyloid, antiischemic and antiinflammatory properties. See molecular details more more specific mode of action. … further results

Parameter	Value(s)	References See complete references in the References section at the end
General types of ailments this species is used for treating	Infectious diseases, Accidents, Pains and Inflammation, Common ailments, Systemic disorders, Organ-specific disorders, Cancer
Specific ailments for which the species is used	Blood clot prevention, Cancer, Cognitive function, Dyspepsia, Gall stone, High cholesterol, AIDS, Inflammation, Irritable bowel syndrome, Liver protection, Osteoarthritis, Peptic ulcers, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Scabies, Uveitis, Viral infection, Alzheimer's disease	Medlineplus, WikiCurcumin, Hatcher08
Medicinal systems which use this plant	Ayurveda
Details of Medicinal use	Although several studies have shown efficacy of using turmeric for many diseases, reliable scientific evidence is lacking for many conditions. The important active component is a polyphenol called Curcumin. It has been shown to have antioxidant, antibiotic, antitumor, antiamyloid, antiischemic and antiinflammatory properties. See molecular details more more specific mode of action.	WikiCurcumin, Hatcher08
Parts of the plant used for treatment	Root, Rhizome, Leaves	Himalaya
Names of some medicinal active compounds in this plant, if known.	Curcumin, Curcumin derivatives, Turmeronol, Curcumerone, Turmerone, stigmasterol, ß-sitosterol, anthraquinone	Himalaya Monographs
Details of the active chemical compounds found in this plant	Curcumin is the active ingredient in the traditional herbal remedy.Curcumin has a surprisingly wide range of beneficial properties, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic activity. The pleiotropic activities of curcumin derive from its complex chemistry as well as its ability to influence multiple signaling pathways, including survival pathways such as those regulated by NF-κB, Akt, and growth factors; cytoprotective pathways dependent on Nrf2; and metastatic and angiogenic pathways. Curcumin is a free radical scavenger and hydrogen donor, and exhibits both pro- and antioxidant activity. It also binds metals, particularly iron and copper, and can function as an iron chelator. Curcumin is remarkably non-toxic and exhibits limited bioavailability. Curcumin exhibits great promise as a therapeutic agent, and is currently in human clinical trials for a variety of conditions, including multiple myeloma, pancreatic cancer, myelodysplastic syndromes, colon cancer, psoriasis and Alzheimer’s disease.	Hatcher08
Is the molecular basis of the medicinal action known?	Yes
Details of molecular basis of action	Reduces beta amyloid plaques, Reduces amount of LDL. In HIV, Curcumin may act by interfering with P300/CREB-binding protein (CBP). Low concentrations may also inhibit Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) by inhibiting the recruitment of RNA pol II to viral DNA. Curcumin prevents lipid oxidation by upregulating Glutathione S transferase, an antioxidant enzyme. It causes an upregulation of the Brain Derived Neurotropic Factor (BDNF) causing neurogenesis in the brain. More detailed mechanisms with references are noted on Wikipedia entry on Curcumin (See references)	Medlineplus, WikiCurcumin
Are the toxic effects of consumption of this plant known?	Yes	Drugs.com
Details of the toxic effects of the plant species	Excessive turmeric intake has been documented to stimulate menstruation and cause abortion. Despite several clinical trials performed, not a lot of adverse reactions have been reported, except for rare cases of contact dermatitis and anaphylaxis. An increased risk of kidney stones is possible in susceptible individuals. No reports of toxicity have been reported following ingestion of large amounts of turmeric. Turmeric may cause stomach upset upon large scale ingestion. Nausea/Diarrhoea have been reported. Curcumin not advised for people with gallstones as one report shows it may cause gallbladder squeezing. Not to be consumed in large amounts by people with immune system deficiencies or with hypoglycemic blood.	Drugs.com, Medline
Have there been validation/clinical studies related to this plant?	Yes	Drugs.com
Details of the clinical studies related to the plant species	As of 2008, numerous clinical trials in humans were underway, studying the effect of curcumin on various diseases including multiple myeloma, pancreatic cancer, myelodysplastic syndromes, colon cancer, psoriasis, and Alzheimer's disease.	WikiCurcumin, Hatcher08

Parameter	Value(s)	References See complete references in the References section at the end
Is this plant/plant-derived product used in food preparations?	Yes	User-reported
Part(s) of the plant used in the food preparations	Rhizomes
Details of use in food preparations	Turmeric powder is widely used in cooking in several parts of the world. In Indian cuisine, it is used as a spice in many dishes.
Does this species have any religious significance?	Yes	User-reported
Religions which mention/give significance to this species	Hinduism	EoL through Plants of Tibet
Religious occasions	Hindu Puja, Weddings	Gauravm
Details of religious use	Turmeric paste is applied to the body of the bride before marriage to cleanse the body and make it more radiant. On religious occasions, Turmeric is applied to the forehead of devotees and also the forehead of the statues of gods.	Gauravm

Parameter	Value(s)	References See complete references in the References section at the end
Is this plant cultivated commercially in India?	Yes
Uses for which the plant is commercially cultivated	Human consumption, Agricultural use, Medicinal use, Cosmetic use, Ornamental use, Religious use	Gauravm
Plant parts of commercial value	Rhizomes	Gauravm
Products where this plant is used		User-reported
Description of use
States where this plant is cultivated commercially
Best period for planting this plant
Best period for harvesting this plant
Method of propagation	Seeds, Vegetative propagation
Water requirement of this plant	Average
Pests and Diseases affecting this plant during cultivation
Other considerations while cultivating this plant

Pubmed Word cloud

This word cloud is obtained using the tool LigerCat by searching the Pubmed database. LigerCat builds the cloud from the most relevant Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms. Each term's relative size indicates how many times it appears in the PubMed search results. Click on a term to access the full LigerCat cloud, with live PubMed search capabilities. LigerCat has been developed for the Biology of Aging Project.

The page may take some time to load since LigerCat is searching the entire PubMed database and sending us the results in real time.

• If there is an error message below, it means that there is no retrievable information available on NCBI
  
• If the number of nucleotide sequences is less than 100, very little genomic work has been done on this species. A respectable number of nucleotide sequences is above 10000.
• Most of the nucleotide sequences may come from three sources:

1. Studies on single genes, where people try to sequence genes such as some specific dehydrogenases important,say, for tannin production
2. Sequences of Ribosomal Internal Transcribed Spacer, whose sequence is used for generating molecular phylogenetic trees to establish species relationships
3. Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) which can tell about which genes are present and expressed in the species at a particular time in the given tissue

{{#queryDB:taxonomy |Curcuma longa }}

Parameter	Value(s)	References See complete references in the References section at the end
Details of modern scientific knowledge available for this species
Are herbarium specimen available for this species?
Institutes having herbarium samples

If nothing is displayed in this section, it means the EoL ID has not been defined. Please click on Edit with form button on top and follow the instructions for filling in the EoL ID

{{#EoLOnlyAdditionalInfo:}} 

Click here to go to Google Images

Flower of Curcuma longs in Gemrnay's botanical garden

Drawing from a herbal monograph

Polyphenolic ring structure of Curcumin

References

Hatcher08 (Journal) : Hatcher et al (2008),Curcumin: From ancient medicine to current clinical trials, CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES:65(11):1631. doi=10.1007/s00018-008-7452-4

EoL (Web): EoL entry on turmeric, Accessdate=2010-08-14

Flowers of India (Web): Flowers of India entry on turmeric, Accessdate=2010-08-14

Drugs.com (Web): Drugs.com entry on Turmeric, Accessdate=2010-08-14

Dr. Duke (Web): Chemicals and their Biological Activities in: Curcuma longa L. (Zingiberaceae) -- Indian Saffron, Turmeric, Accessdate=2010-08-14

Himalaya Monographs (Web): Turmeric entry, Accessdate=2010-08-14

Plants Database of India (Web): Plants Database of India, Accessdate=2010-08-18

Medlineplus (Web): Turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn.) and Curcumin, Accessdate=2010-09-08