Critical Review on Curcumin as a Therapeutic Agent: From Traditional Herbal Medicine to an Ideal Therapeutic Agent

Traditionally, many natural medicinal plants have been used to treat a variety of diseases since ancient times and are considered a potential source of phytochemicals for the development of new drugs. One of these is curcumin, which is an easily accessible, inexpensive, and nontoxic bioactive compound. Curcumin is a very important, naturally occurring, and highly lipophilic and phenolic substance derived from the rhizomes of plant Curcuma longa, a member of the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family, which is mostly used as a curry spice, flavoring agent, insect repellent, coloring agent in food, traditional drug, and ingredient in cosmetics. Modern scientific research has demonstrated that it has wide range of pharmacological activities and medicinal properties against various types of diseases, disorders, and syndromes. Because it has been known for many years to have excellent therapeutic potential against various diseases, much research has been devoted to this natural product. This review briefly summarizes the scope, therapeutic potential and clinical applications of curcumin.