While the majority of turmeric is cultivated in India, it is also grown and harvested in a few other regions of the world. Turmeric is one of the key ingredients in many curries, giving them both color and flavor. The root and rhizome (underground stem) of the turmeric plant are used medicinally.

Turmeric belongs to the same family of plants that includes ginger. An attractive plant, which may be as tall as 5 or 6 feet, turmeric has a large yellow and white flower spike surrounded by long leaves. Turmeric plants make bulbs like tulips and they also send out rhizomes, fleshy extensions of their stems that run just under the ground and produce shoots and roots for new plants. Both of these underground parts of turmeric are collected in the fall of the year after the leaves have died down. Occasionally shredded and used fresh, turmeric is more often dried and powdered for use. Pale tan or yellow on the outside, turmeric bulbs and rhizomes are orange on the inside.

Turmeric is a common ingredient of traditional oriental medicine for use as a stomach tonic and blood purifier, and was used for a variety of skin conditions and minor injuries. Today, turmeric is considered potentially beneficial for use in connection with symptoms associated with a variety of health conditions due to its purported antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial effects.

The active constituent in turmeric is known as curcumin, which is responsible for the following medicinal and therapeutic properties:

• Acts as anti-inflammatory by lowering histamine levels
• Acts as anti-oxidant protecting against free radical damage
• Protects liver from certain toxins
• Improves circulation by inhibiting blood platelets from sticking together

• Digestive disorders. Curcumin, one of the active ingredients in turmeric, induces the flow of bile, which breaks down fats. Extracts of turmeric root inhibited gastric secretion and protected against injuries caused by medications such as indomethacin and reserpine in an animal study. Further studies are needed to confirm these effects in humans.
• Arthritis. Curcumin is an anti-inflammatory agent that relieves the aches and pains associated with arthritis.
• Cardiovascular conditions.
• Cancer. Turmeric decreased symptoms of skin cancers and reduced the incidence of chemically caused breast cancer in lab animals.
• Bacterial infection. The herb's volatile oil functions as an external antibiotic, preventing bacterial infection in wounds.

• Standardized powder (curcumin): 400 to 600 mg three times daily
• Tincture (1:2): 3 to 5 mL three times per day

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