Concise ethnobotanical review and botanical pharmacognosy of turmeric rhizome ( Curcuma longa L.)

Context Turmeric (Curcuma longa L. Zingiberaceae) is a highly valued botanical medicine worldwide and has emerged as among the best-selling herbal products in North America.Objective Presented an ethnobotanical record of turmeric use to present a context for this edition on turmeric.Methods Information was primarily compiled from online sources including PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Science Direct using ‘turmeric’, ‘curcuma’, and ‘curcuma longa’ as search terms; No time limit was specified. The primary goal was to mine ethnobotanical literature regarding turmeric use of various cultures. Online searches were augmented by hardcopy searches of ethnobotanical, and pharmacognosy literature from the first century.Results and conclusion Turmeric is used in an array of preparations. It is listed among the top ten spices in the world and is used as a dye, medicine, object of cultural and religious significance, and coloring agent. Turmeric is used in African, Ayurvedic, Korean, Malaysian, Siddha, Chinese, Persian, Unani, and Western herbal traditions though India remains the largest producer and consumer of turmeric. Turmeric is universally used to support healthy gastrointestinal, circulatory, respiratory, and renal systems. The treatment of jaundice was one of turmeric’s primary historical indications. In combination with other botanicals, turmeric is used for treating almost any condition. Following is an ethnobotanical review of its traditional uses and select botanical pharmacognostic characteristics used for ensuring authenticity of raw material, including a discussion of some of the most common adulterants of turmeric products.