World Journal of
Pharmaceutical and Life Sciences

TURMERIC (THE GOLDEN SPICE) - A TREASURE OF MOTHER NATURE

Dr. Ashish Mahajan and Dr. Shivani Gupta*

ABSTRACT

Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant (Curcuma longa) of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. Although we can find so much of literature and abundance of traditional uses in our daily routine of this herb yet its use as a medicine for specific disease is lacking. Turmeric is certainly no magic but it is indeed magical. The most important chemical components of turmeric are a group of compounds called curcuminoids, which include curcumin (diferuloylmethane), demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin. The best-studied compound is curcumin, which constitutes approximately 3.14% of the powdered turmeric. Several medical properties have been attributed to Curcuma longa Linn. It is well known for its anti- diarrheal, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective properties. It also has the potential to fight against cancer, diabetes, asthma and so many other chronic diseases. This review has been written to provide current knowledge of its medicinal properties and need for further research in drug design and development has been emphasized.

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