(Pronounce the first R, people! It's Turmeric, not Tumeric!)
Natural plant products have been utilized for a variety of reasons throughout human history. Many of the plants that give rise to these natural compounds have co-evolved with animal life over billions of years. Higher plants naturally manufacture tens of thousands of these compounds as secondary metabolites to protect against illness and infection. A large number of these natural compounds possess biological or pharmacological properties that can be used in pharmaceutical drug design and discovery. Plant-based medicines have been essential to the medical care of many ancient and contemporary societies.
Ayurveda - the holistic medical system from India dating back at least 4000 years ago, has foundations to treat a variety of illnesses, including cancer - primarily with medications or preparations derived from plants.
Among the 877 small-molecule medications that were released globally between 1981 and 2002, a majority (~61%) have their roots in natural products. Plant-based medications are more suited for human usage, at least in terms of biochemistry, even though combinatorial chemistry is used to create many synthetic pharmaceuticals. Nevertheless, neither the use of natural items for medical purposes nor their promotion have been fostered by contemporary medicine.
(Curcuma inodora, a turmeric species native to Southern India (Source))
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a vibrant yellow spice that has been used for centuries in Asian cuisine and traditional medicine. Turmeric has a significant cultural, culinary, religious, and medical footprint in the history of several south-east Asian countries, specifically, in India and China and slowly finding itself spreading along the silk road into Europe and Africa. Its distinctive color and earthy flavor are attributed to curcuminoids, a group of bioactive compounds present in the rhizome of the turmeric plant. Among these curcuminoids, curcumin (diferuloylmethane) stands out for its potent biological and pharmacological activities [1].
(Map of the Silk Roads (Source))
References:
Prasad S, Aggarwal BB. Turmeric, the Golden Spice: From Traditional Medicine to Modern Medicine. In: Benzie IFF, Wachtel-Galor S, editors. Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd edition. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2011. Chapter 13. Available from: Link
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