(Maybe not too told)
The Curcuma [i] species has a rich history of medicinal use in East Asian traditions – focusing primarily on C. longa (turmeric), both Ayurveda (Indian medical scripture, dating back 5,000 years) and Atharveda (Hindu religious scriptures, dating back to 2,000 years BC) traditions document the use of this natural ingredient for cooking, offering prayers, conducting sacred rituals and treating various ailments, including inflammation, skin conditions, and digestive issues. It reached China by 700 AD, East Africa by 800 AD, West Africa by 1200 AD, and Jamaica in the eighteenth century [1].
(Turmeric clad likeness of a Hindu goddess celebrating her victories over evil)
Across the world, 133 species of the Curcuma family have been identified of which, Turmeric is the most consumed species. The plant is native to the Indian subcontinent and a few tropical regions of South Asia as it requires a tropical weather of 20 - 30 °C and a considerable annual rainfall for cultivation [1]. Despite its widespread use and popularity, the taxonomical identity of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is quite complex due to its shorter flowering period, and quick development of tubers, rhizomes, and inflorescence [ii].
(Tuber (left, green), rhizome (left, bottom), and inflorescence (Source))
In a broader sense, Turmeric belongs to the Curcuma genus of the Zingiberaceae [Latin: zingi (ginger) + -aceae (feminine plural referring to a family of plants)]. As with most members of the Zingi background, the rhizomes are the most actively used part of the plant – made up of non-volatile bioactive curcuminoids (curcumin derivatives).
Curcuma species have been extensively studied previously for their potential in therapeutic applications including, but not limited to antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, neurological, hypocholesterolemic, and antiviral effects [2].
Of the known species of the rhizome, a fourth have been more relevant in the recent past for their use in disease treatment with Turmeric (C. longa) and zedoary (Curcuma zedoaria) having shown the most efficacy [3].
However, it was only in the nineteenth century that curcumin was isolated from turmeric by Vogel and Pellitier in 1815 and purified crystals were described by Daube in 1870.
(Pierre Joseph Pelletier - notable French chemist and pharmacist most credited for his work on vegetable alkaloids like curcumin, quinine, caffeine and strychnine (Source))
References:
Prasad, S. & Aggarwal, B. B. Turmeric, the Golden Spice. in Herbal Medicine - Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects (eds. Benzie, I. F. F. & Wachtel-Galor, S.) (CRC Press, 2011).
Salehi, B. et al. Curcumin’s nanomedicine formulations for therapeutic application in neurological diseases. Journal of Clinical Medicine vol. 9 Preprint at https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm9020430 (2020).
Lakshmi, S., Padmaja, G. & Remani, P. Antitumour Effects of Isocurcumenol Isolated from Curcuma zedoaria Rhizomes on Human and Murine Cancer Cells. Int J Med Chem 2011, 1–13 (2011).
[i] Derived from the Sanskrit word kumkum (saffron); turmeric was often considered the poor person's saffron
[ii] Clustering of flowers on a single stem
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