Turmeric is the dried rhizome of a herbaceous perennial tropical plant. The primary rhizomes which are rather round in shape are called bulbs while the thin long secondary rhizomes are fingers.
Turmeric, essential to curry powder, is a member of the ginger family. It has a light, musky flavor along with a brilliant golden-orange color for which it is famous throughout the world. In Asia, its main use for thousands of years was as a dyestuff. At one time, sun worshipers, whose sacred color was yellow, dyed their textiles with the very expensive saffron. When it was discovered that the very inexpensive turmeric produced the same brilliant color, the sacred saffron was guarded for special culinary dishes.
Turmeric can replace the golden color with which saffron graces foods, but not saffron’s distinctive flavor! For a while, turmeric was also used as a fabric dye in this country, until it was replaced by newer coal-tar compounds. To this day, some Hindu brides paint themselves with turmeric as part of the wedding ceremony, while married women rub it into their cheeks to give off an attractive golden glow. In Asia, turmeric is considered a good luck charm; newborn babies might have it rubbed on their forehead, or a bit of the root may be made into a necklace for them to wear.
Over the last several years, there has been increasing interest in turmeric and its medicinal properties. This is partially evidenced by the large numbers of scientific studies published on this topic.
Turmeric has long been used in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine as an anti-inflammatory, to treat digestive disorders and liver problems, and for the treatment of skin diseases and wound healing. The active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, which has been the subject of numerous animal studies—but as of yet, very few studies on people—demonstrating various medicinal properties. Curcumin has been shown, for example, to stimulate the production of bile and to facilitate the emptying of the gallbladder. It has also demonstrated in animals a protective effect on the liver, anti-tumor action, and ability to reduce inflammation and fight certain infections.
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