![]() ![]() The plant’s most interesting medicinal compounds, which are found at highest levels in the rhizomes are the curcuminoids. aurantiaca) that are sometimes labeled as turmeric do have strong aromatic and bitter tastes. The rhizomes of true turmeric typically do not have a strong flavor, although related species (such as C. The rhizomes (underground stems) are the economically, culinary and medicinally important parts of the plant. “True” turmeric does not have coloration on the leaves or on the inflorescence, which is green and white, with yellow and white flowers. Related Curcuma species have colored midribs or veins on the leaves. The plant, which consists of an underground creeping rhizome, a shallow root system, and numerous aerial shoots, grows to about 1 meter tall, with long plain-green oblong leaves that originate from buds off of the growing rhizome. The island of Hawaii produces most of the organic turmeric available in the United States. Turmeric has been in use in southern Asia for more than 2500 years as a dye, medicine, and spice, and is now cultivated in tropical regions around the globe. The actual origin of turmeric is still under investigation by botanists. The thousands of cultivars of turmeric that exist in south and southeast Asia may have resulted in part from independent hybridization events. Turmeric is propagated only vegetatively because it is a sterile hybrid between wild Curcuma species, probably between Curcuma aromatica and closely related species such as Curcuma petiolata or Curcuma aurantiaca. Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.), is a cultivated member of the Zingiberaceae (ginger) family known both for its culinary and medicinal uses. ![]()
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