Turmeric

Turmeric(/ˈtɜːrmərɪk,ˈtjuː-/),orCurcuma longa(/ˈkɜːrkjʊməˈlɒŋɡə/),is aflowering plantin thegingerfamilyZingiberaceae. It is aperennial,rhizomatous,herbaceous plantnative to theIndian subcontinentandSoutheast Asiathat requires temperatures between 20 and 30 °C (68 and 86 °F) and highannual rainfallto thrive. Plants are gathered each year for theirrhizomes, some for propagation in the following season and some for consumption.
The rhizomes are used fresh or boiled in water and dried, after which they are ground into a deep orange-yellow powder commonly used as acoloringand flavoring agent in manyAsian cuisines, especially forcurries, as well as for thedyeingcharacteristics imparted by the principal turmeric constituent,curcumin.
Turmeric powder has a warm, bitter,black pepper-like flavor and earthy,mustard-likearoma.
Curcumin, a bright yellow chemical produced by the turmeric plant, is approved as afood additiveby theWorld Health Organization,European Parliament, and United StatesFood and Drug Administration.
Although long used inAyurvedicmedicine, there is nohigh-quality clinical evidencethat consuming turmeric or curcumin is effective for treating any disease.
The greatest diversity ofCurcumaspecies by number alone is inIndia, at around 40 to 45 species.Thailandhas a comparable 30 to 40 species... Other countries in tropical Asia also have numerous wild species ofCurcuma. Recent studies have also shown that the taxonomy ofC. longais problematic, with only the specimens from South India being identifiable asC. longa. The phylogeny, relationships, intraspecific and interspecific variation, and even identity of other species and cultivars in other parts of the world still need to be established and validated. Various species currently utilized and sold as "turmeric" in other parts of Asia have been shown to belong to several physically similar taxa, with overlapping local names.
Turmeric has been used in Asia for centuries and is a major part ofAyurveda,Siddha medicine,traditional Chinese medicine,Unani,and the animistic rituals ofAustronesian peoples.It was first used as adye, and then later for its supposed properties infolk medicine.
In India, it spread with Hinduism and Buddhism, as the yellow dye is used to color the robes of monks and priests.
InIsland Southeast Asia, there is linguistic and circumstantial evidence of the ancient use of turmeric among theAustronesian peoplessoon after dispersal fromTaiwan(startingc.3000 BCE), before contact with India. InIndonesiaand thePhilippines, turmeric was used for food, dyeing textiles, medicine, as well as body painting. It was commonly an important ingredient in various animistic rituals. Kikusawa and Reid (2007) have concluded that *kunij, the oldest reconstructedProto-Malayo-Polynesianform for "turmeric" in the Austronesian languages, is primarily associated with the importance of its use as a dye. Other members of the genusCurcumanative to Southeast Asia (likeCurcuma zedoaria) were also used for food and spice, but not as dyes.
Turmeric (along withCurcuma zedoaria) was also spread with theLapita peopleof theAustronesian expansionintoOceania. Turmeric can only be propagated with rhizomes, thus its pre-contact distribution into thePacific Islandscan only be via human introduction. The populations inMicronesia,Island Melanesia, andPolynesia(including as far asHawaiiandEaster Island) use turmeric widely for both food and dye before European contact.InMicronesia, it was an important trade item in thesaweimaritime exchange betweenYapand furtheratollsin theCarolines, where it couldn't grow. In some smaller islands, the dye was extracted from the leaves, since the rhizomes remained too small in sandy soils. It was also carried by the Austronesian migrations toMadagascar.
Turmeric was found inFarmana, dating to between 2600 and 2200 BCE, and in a merchant's tomb inMegiddo, Israel, dating from the second millennium BCE.It was noted as a dye plant in theAssyrians' Cuneiform medical texts fromAshurbanipal’s library at Nineveh from 7th century BCE.InMedieval Europe, turmeric was called "Indiansaffron."
The name possibly derives fromMiddle Englishor Early Modern English asturmeryteortarmaret. It may be ofLatinorigin,terra merita("meritorious earth").The Latin specific epithetlongameans long.
Turmeric is aperennialherbaceous plantthat reaches up to 1 m (3 ft 3 in) tall.It has highly branched, yellow to orange, cylindrical, aromatic rhizomes.
The leaves arealternateand arranged in two rows. They are divided into leaf sheath,petiole, and leaf blade.From the leaf sheaths, a false stem is formed. The petiole is 50 to 115 cm (20–45 in) long. The simple leaf blades are usually 76 to 115 cm (30–45 in) long and rarely up to 230 cm (7 ft 7 in). They have a width of38 to 45 cm (15 to17+1⁄2in) and are oblong to elliptical, narrowing at the tip.
At the top of the inflorescence, stem bracts are present on which no flowers occur; these are white to green and sometimes tinged reddish-purple, and the upper ends are tapered.
Thehermaphroditeflowers arezygomorphicand threefold. The threesepalsare0.8 to 1.2 cm (3⁄8to1⁄2in) long, fused, and white, and have fluffy hairs; the threecalyxteeth are unequal. The three bright-yellowpetalsare fused into acorollatube up to3 cm (1+1⁄4in) long. The three corolla lobes have a length of1.0 to 1.5 cm (3⁄8–5⁄8in) and are triangular with soft-spiny upper ends. While the average corolla lobe is larger than the two lateral, only the medianstamenof the inner circle is fertile. The dust bag is spurred at its base. All other stamens are converted tostaminodes. The outer staminodes are shorter than thelabellum. The labellum is yellowish, with a yellow ribbon in its center and it isobovate, with a length from1.2 to 2.0 cm (1⁄2to3⁄4in). Threecarpelsare under a constant, trilobed ovary adherent, which is sparsely hairy. The fruit capsule opens with three compartments.
InEast Asia, the flowering time is usually in August. Terminally on the false stem is aninflorescencestem,12 to 20 cm (4+1⁄2to 8 in) long, containing many flowers. Thebractsare light green and ovate to oblong with a blunt upper end with a length of 3 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in).
Turmeric powder is about 60–70%carbohydrates, 6–13% water, 6–8%protein, 5–10%fat, 3–7%dietary minerals, 3–7%essential oils, 2–7%dietary fiber, and 1–6%curcuminoids.The golden yellow color of turmeric is due to curcumin.
Phytochemicalcomponents of turmeric includediarylheptanoids, a class including numerous curcuminoids, such ascurcumin,demethoxycurcumin, andbisdemethoxycurcumin.Curcumin constitutes up to 3.14% of assayed commercial samples of turmeric powder (the average was 1.51%); curry powder contains much less (an average of 0.29%).Some 34 essential oils are present in turmeric, among whichturmerone,germacrone, atlantone, andzingibereneare major constituents.
Turmeric is one of the key ingredients in many Asian dishes, imparting a mustard-like, earthy aroma and pungent, slightly bitter flavor to foods.It is used mostly in savory dishes, but also is used in some sweet dishes, such as the cakesfouf. In India, turmeric leaf is used to prepare special sweet dishes,patoleo, by layering rice flour andcoconut-jaggerymixture on the leaf, then closing and steaming it in a special utensil (chondrõ).Most turmeric is used in the form ofrhizomepowder to impart a golden yellow color.It is used in many products such as canned beverages, baked products, dairy products, ice cream, yogurt, yellow cakes, orange juice, biscuits, popcorn, cereals and sauces. It is a principal ingredient in curry powders.Although typically used in its dried, powdered form, turmeric also is used fresh, like ginger.
Turmeric is used widely as a spice in South Asian and Middle Eastern cooking. VariousIraniankhoreshrecipes begin with onionscaramelizedin oil and turmeric. TheMoroccanspice mixras el hanouttypically includes turmeric. In South Africa, turmeric is used to give boiled white rice a golden color, known asgeelrys(yellow rice) traditionally served withbobotie. InVietnamese cuisine, turmeric powder is used to color and enhance the flavors of certain dishes, such asbánh xèo,bánh khọt, andmì Quảng. The stapleCambodiancurry paste,kroeung, used in many dishes, includingfish amok, typically contains fresh turmeric. InIndonesia, turmeric leaves are used forMinangorPadangcurry base ofSumatra, such asrendang,sate padang, and many other varieties. In thePhilippines, turmeric is used in the preparation and cooking ofkuning,satti, and some variants ofadobo. InThailand, fresh turmeric rhizomes are used widely in many dishes, in particular in the southernThai cuisine, such as yellow curry and turmeric soup. Turmeric is used in a hot drink called "turmericlatte" or "golden milk" that is made with milk, frequentlycoconut milk.The turmeric milk drink known ashaldī dūdh(haldī[हलदी] means turmeric inHindi) is a traditional Indian recipe. Sold in the US and UK, the drink known as "golden milk" uses nondairy milk and sweetener, and sometimes black pepper after the traditional recipe (which may also use ghee).
Turmeric is approved for use as afood color, assigned the codeE100.Theoleoresinis used for oil-containing products.
In combination withannatto(E160b), turmeric has been used to color numerous food products.Turmeric is used to give a yellow color to some preparedmustards, canned chickenbroths, and other foods—often as a much cheaper replacement forsaffron.
In 2019, theEuropean Medicines Agencyconcluded that turmeric herbal teas, or other forms taken by mouth, on the basis of their long-standing traditional use, could be used to relieve mild digestive problems, such as feelings of fullness andflatulence.
Turmeric grows wild in the forests of South and Southeast Asia, where it is collected for use in classical Indian medicine (Siddha or Ayurveda).In Eastern India, the plant is used as one of the nine components ofnabapatrikaalong with youngplantainor banana plant,taroleaves,barley(jayanti),wood apple(bilva),pomegranate(darimba),Saraca indica,manaka(Arum), ormanakochu, and rice paddy. The Haldi ceremony calledgaye holudin Bengal (literally "yellow on the body") is a ceremony observed during wedding celebrations of people of Indian culture all throughout the Indian subcontinent.
InTamil NaduandAndhra Pradesh, as a part of the Tamil–Telugu marriage ritual, a dried turmeric tuber tied with a string is used to create aThali necklace. In western and coastal India, during weddings of theMarathiandKonkani people,KannadaBrahmins, turmeric tubers are tied with strings by the couple to their wrists during a ceremony,Kankana Bandhana.In many Hindu communities, turmeric paste is applied to the bride and groom as part of pre-wedding festivities known as the haldi ceremony.
Turmeric makes a poor fabricdye, as it is notlight fast, but is commonly used in Indian clothing, such assarisandBuddhist monks' robes.During the lateEdo period(1603–1867), turmeric was used to dilute or substitute more expensivesafflowerdyestuff in the production ofbeni itajime shibori.Friedrich Ratzelreported inThe History of Mankindduring 1896, that in Micronesia, turmeric powder was applied for embellishment of body, clothing, utensils, and ceremonial uses.Native Hawaiianswho introduced it toHawaii(Hawaiian:ʻōlena) make a bright yellow dye out of it.
Turmeric paper, also called curcuma paper or in German literature,Curcumapapier, is paper steeped in atinctureof turmeric and allowed to dry. It is used inchemical analysisas anindicatorforacidityandalkalinity.The paper is yellow in acidic andneutral solutionsand turns brown to reddish-brown in alkaline solutions, with transition between pH of 7.4 and 9.2.
As turmeric and other spices are commonly sold by weight, the potential exists for powders of toxic, cheaper agents with a similar color to be added, such aslead(II,IV) oxide("red lead"). These additives give turmeric an orange-red color instead of its native gold-yellow, and such conditions led the USFood and Drug Administration(FDA) to issue import alerts from 2013 to 2019 on turmeric originating inIndiaandBangladesh.Imported into the United States in 2014 were approximately 5.4 million kilograms (12 million pounds) of turmeric, some of which was used forfood coloring,traditional medicine, ordietary supplement.Lead detection in turmeric products led torecallsacross the United States, Canada, Japan, Korea, and the United Kingdom through 2016.
Lead chromate, a bright yellow chemical compound, was found as an adulterant of turmeric in Bangladesh, where turmeric is used commonly in foods and the contamination levels were up to 500 times higher than the national limit.Researchers identified a chain of sources adulterating the turmeric with lead chromate: from farmers to merchants selling low-grade turmeric roots to "polishers" who added lead chromate for yellow color enhancement, towholesalersfor market distribution, all unaware of the potential consequences of lead toxicity.
Another common adulterant in turmeric,metanil yellow(also known as acid yellow 36), is considered by theBritishFood Standards Agencyas an illegaldyefor use in foods.
Turmeric and curcumin have been studied in numerousclinical trialsfor various human diseases and conditions, with no high-quality evidence of any anti-disease effect or health benefit.There is no scientific evidence that curcumin reducesinflammation, as of 2020.There is weak evidence that turmeric extracts may be beneficial for relieving symptoms of kneeosteoarthritis,as well as for reducing pain and muscle damage following physical exercise.There is good evidence that turmeric is an allergen.