Curcuma longa Linn. A Phytochemical and Phytopharmacological Review Sabale Prafulla1,*, Modi Arjun1, Sabale Vidya2 1Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Parul Institute of Pharmacy, Limda-391 760, Vadodara, Gujarat, India 2Department of Pharmaceutics, Parul Institute of Pharrmacy and Research, Limda-391 760, Vadodara, Gujarat, India *Corresponding Author: Prafulla Sabale, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Parul Institute of Pharmacy, Limda-391 760, Vadodara, Gujarat, India
Online published on 31 October, 2013. Abstract Curcuma longa commonly known as turmeric is a well-known indigenous herbal medicine traditionally used as a spice in Indian food. Turmeric is used in India for thousands of years as a major part of Ayurvedic medicine. It was first used as a dye and then later for its possible medicinal properties. Turmeric is traditionally used as a spice and colori in foods dueing to curcuminoids curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bis-demethoxycurcumin as important chemical constituents. Curcuma longa sshows wide range of biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant, antiseptic, cardioprotective, hepatoprotective and digestive activities. This Review expresses the devel lopment of Curcuma long from a traditional spice to a modern application in the present period. Top Keywords Curcuma longa, Turmeric, Curcumin, Ayurvedic medicine, Anti-inflammatory, Anti-oxidants, Anticancer, Antimicrobial activity. Top |