Turmeric

Lore & Background

Turmeric has been used in Asia for centuries, first as a dye and later in folk medicine. It is a major part of Ayurveda, Siddha medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, Unani, and Austronesian animistic rituals. In India, it spread with Hinduism and Buddhism, where the yellow dye colors monks' and priests' robes. In Maritime Southeast Asia, linguistic evidence suggests ancient use among Austronesian peoples soon after dispersal from Taiwan, before contact with India. Turmeric was also carried by the Lapita people into Oceania, reaching as far as Hawaii and Easter Island, and was an important trade item in the sawei maritime exchange between Yap and the Carolines.

Reader's Guide

Turmeric is significant as a key ingredient in many Asian dishes, imparting a mustard-like, earthy aroma and pungent, slightly bitter flavor. It is used fresh or dried and ground into a deep orange-yellow powder, a principal component of curry powders. Despite long use in Ayurvedic medicine, there is no high-quality clinical evidence that turmeric or its constituent curcumin is effective for treating any disease. Curcumin is approved as a food additive by the World Health Organization, European Union, and United States Food and Drug Administration. Turmeric and curcumin are generally safe but have been linked to rare cases of immune-mediated acute liver injury, especially in high-bioavailability forms, which typically resolve after stopping use. The taxonomy of Curcuma longa is problematic, with only specimens from South India identifiable as C. longa; other species sold as turmeric in Asia belong to similar taxa with overlapping local names.

Did You Know?

• In Medieval Europe, turmeric was called 'Indian saffron.'
• The name possibly derives from Middle English 'turmeryte' or Latin 'terra merita' (deserved earth).
• Turmeric can only be propagated with rhizomes, so its pre-contact distribution into Pacific Islands was via human introduction.