Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a perennial herbaceous plant of the ginger family that survives for several years usually with new growth with each growing season. The tuberous rhizomes underground plant stems are capable of producing the shoot and root stems of the plant. Notably the rhizomes of some species including lotus, turmeric and ginger are edible and valued for their culinary applications spicing food to perfection. Turmeric roots have been used in antiquity from the ancient past before the middle ages as a condiment, textile dye, and medicinally as an aromatic stimulant. Native to Indonesia and Southern India turmeric was widely cultivated on the mainland and islands of the Indian Ocean, a body of salt water covering approximately one fifth of the total ocean area of the world. The rhizome of the plant has a pepperlike aroma with an earthy warm flavor profile and defining characteristics of orange yellow color.
In ancient times turmeric was used as a flavorful spice, dyes and perfume. In ancient India turmeric was used medicinally, especially Ayurveda, a traditional Indian system of medicine that emphasizes balance, harmony of the body, mind and spirit. It was based on the belief that health was achieved by maintaining balance between three fundamental forces in the body called doshas including, pitta, kapha, and vata, one of the three fundamental doshas (humors) that govern a person's physical, mental and emotional constitution composed of the elements of air and space. It is the principal of movement controlling bodily functions like nerve impulses and circulation and breathing. A blanched vata constitution is associated with qualities including alertness, lightness, creativity, and flexibility while an unbalanced vata is linked to dryness, anxiety, instability and fear. Maintaining balance with an individual's vata, people are encouraged to adopt routines that provide grounding and stability such as meditation, yoga, swimming, walks in nature to reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance cognitive functions.
Warming foods and spices are also considered favorable, helping to counteract the cool, dry, and light qualities of vata. Turmeric was seen as a sacred spice used in a variety of religious and cultural ceremonies in Hindu and Buddhist cultures. It is a vibrant yellow color which symbolizes purity, prosperity, fertility and the sun. The spice is also revered as antiseptic and medicinal properties which are seen as a tool for purification and protection against evil. In Ayurvedic medicine an ancient Indian holistic healing system has used turmeric for over 4,000 years to treat various health ailments including respiratory issues, liver disorders, and skin conditions. Turmeric has been valued in traditional medicine for its protective healing properties. “Throughout the Orient turmeric is traditionally used for both prevention and therapy of diseases. Modern in vitro studies reveal that turmeric is a poignant antioxidant anti-inflammatory, anti mutagenic, and anti cancer agent,
Turmeric used in cooking and home remedies has significant antioxidant abilities of action.” PubMed The health benefits of turmeric are traditionally achieved through dietary or supplement consumption.
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Patricia Lynn
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