CHAPTER 26
Haridra: Nature’s Precious Medicine

As a matter of fact, an ordinary desert supports a much greater variety of plants than does either a forest or a prairie.

Ellsworth Huntington

Curcuma longa Linn is also known as haridra or turmeric belongs to ginger family Zingiberaceae. It grows in the tropical regions of India. Haridra affectionately called kitchen queen and is the principal spice of every Indian kitchen. It is a indispensable spice and without turmeric one can not deam of cooking. Haridra is available in market both as powder or as fresh/dry roots. It is also well known for its anti-bacterial activity, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and healing qualities. It has an earthy aromatic and spicy fragrance. Its complexion enhansing property, is used in Indian wedding and in many religious ceremonies in India. Haridra assists in eliminating the undesirable fats from the body; corrects metabolism rate and reduces anaemia, diabetes and liver problems. It has slightly bitter taste. Turmeric is one of the best blood purifier. Haridra has anti-cancerous properties. It is one of the most prestigious and powerful plant on earth and being used as drug by ancient people of India. Haridra when it is in the spice form, it can be very easily identified as it comes with a mesmerizing yellow colour and used in flavouring foods and imparting yellow colour and taste. It is known as indinan saffron. The origin of haridra is not known but it is believed to originate from southern Asia, most probably India. The roots can be eaten raw or ground to a powder after drying. Turmeric is also used as a natural dye and is a part of cosmetics. It has many medicinal properties and is used as a household anti-septic and anti-inflammatory medicine. Turmeric is common home medicine. Without any medical background, people of India know its medicinal value since thousands of years.

Haridra Herb Information

1. Nomenclature

Family Name:: Zingiberaceae

Botanical Name: Curcuma longa Linn

Sanskrit Name: Haridra, Aushadhi, Gouri, and Kanchan

English Name: Turmeric

Common Name: Turmeric, Curcumin, Haridra, Haldi,

2. Bioenergies

Rasa: Tikta, Katu

Guna: Ruksha, Laghu

Virya: Ushna

Vipaka-Katu

Dosa effect: KPV +

Karma: dipanapachana, grahi, jvaraghna, krimiaghna, chedana, raktaprasadana, shothahara, chakshushya, varnya, kushtaghna, saindhaniya, kaphapittahara

Prabhava: Purifies skin and complexion.

3. Biomedical Action

Alterative, analgesic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, appetizer, astringent, cardiovascular, carminative, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, stimulant, and vulnerary.

Habitat

Curcuma grows on forest margins river banks, and in clearings. It can sustain drought condition. In dry season, it loses its leafy parts and survives as underground rhizomes. Thought to be native to eastern India. It is believed that haridra reached China before the 7th century, it was introduced in East Africa in the in 8th century and West Africa in the 13th century. It reached Jamaica in 18th century. Currently, it is widely cultivated across the globe, but large scale commercial production is concentrated in India and South East Asian countries. India aone produce 9 lakh tonnes of turmeric. Some Curcuma species also produce tuberous roots, which act as an additional store of food and water. In China, Curcuma is mainly produced in the provinces Zhejiang, Sichuan, etc. Turmeric (Curcuma longa) and several other species of the Curcuma genus grow wild in the forests of Southern Asia including India, Indonesia, Indochina, nearby Asian countries, and some Pacific Islands including Hawaii. Haridra is not found in true wild state, although in some constituencies, it appears to have become naturalized. Haridra has been grown in India since ancient time. Curcuma Longa is a tropical plant, and it grows in a humid warm weather with a lot of rainfall. Appropriate temperature for Turmeric is between 20 °C and 30 °C (68 °F and 86 °F). It needs light for growing, then open fields are the best for this plant. In India it is found every where especially it is found in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Karnataka, Gujarat Bengal and Maharashtra where there is large area under commercial cultivation.

Haridra Powder

Botanical Characters

Haridra is a perennial plant, with a short stem, that attains a height of up to 90 cm long. Roots anout 50 cm long cylindrical with thick sessile tubers, oblong that are intensely orange-yellow when cut or broken. The leaves are simple, quite large in proportion to the stem, the petiole as long as the leaf, oblong-lanceolate, glabrous, entire and acute, 30-45 cm long to 12.5 cm wide. The funnel shaped yellow flowers are borne in spikes, concealed by the sheathing petioles.

Chemical Constituents

Haridra contributes 2.4 % of pigments called curcuminoids and 3.8 % essential oil containing different sesquiterpenes. Turmeric is fully loaded with hundreds of chemical compounds, each with a distrinct biological activities. they are anti-biotic, cancer preventive, anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory and there are at least 10 different anti-oxidants. The list goes on and on. We can say that turmeric is a complete pharmacy in its own right, with literally hundreds of different chemicals and activities on its shelves.. And amongst all chemicals, there are three chemicals which are the most extensively researched. They are three gold-coloured alkaloidal Curcuminoids: Curcumin, Demethoxy-curcumin, and Bisdemethoxy-curcumin. One hundred gram of edible portion of rhizome contains carbohydrates 69.4%, protein 6.3%, fats 5.1%, fibres it contains calcium, iron and phosphorus, carotene, thiamin, niacin. Its caklorie value is 349.

Plant Parts Used

Rhizome. Leaves.

Health Benefits

Since ancient times, Curcuma is widely used in medicines.

• • In the Indian Ayurveda system of herbal medicine, haridra is known as strengthening and warming herb for the entire body.
• • In India, traditionally turmeric is advocated to improve intestinal normal flora, to eliminate intestinal worms, for relief of arthritis and swelling, as a blood purifier, to warm and promote proper metabolism correcting both excesses and deficiencies, to relieve gas, to cleanse and strengthen the liver and gall bladder.
• • Haridra is an excellent medicine for treating liver disorders, piles, jaundice, loss of appetite, anaemia, constipation.
• • It is used for various urinary disorders like diabetes, painful urination and enlarged prostate.
• • It is a traditional medicine against leucorrhoea, menorrhagia, painful menstruation, fistula in anus, enlarged lymph gland, sinus and fever.
• • It is used to improve digestion, to improve intestinal flora, for soothing action in cough and asthma, as antibacterial and anti-fungus and in any condition of weakness or debility.
• • Traditionly haridra is used as tonic, a carminative for diarrhoea, for liver problems and jaundice and as cancer remedy.
• • Scientists have proved that chronic inflammation plays a significant role in development of cancer. Petroleum ether extract and alcohol extracts of haridra exhibited anti-inflammatory activities, which is effetive against cancer cells. This effect is attributed to the presence of essential oil containing ar-turmerone.
• • A reduction in side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy concomitant improvement in quality of life with increase in life-span of cancer patients was observed using C. longa.
• • It balances vata and kapha. Because of its dryness, pungent and bitter taste, it balances kapha. Due to bitterness, it balances pitta. Hence it balances all the three doshas.
• • A formulation of Haridra khanda is widely used in the treatment of allergy and urticaria.
• • It is used externally and internally in skin diseases caused due to impurities of blood. Haridra raises RBC count and purify impure blood.
• • Haridra powder is used internally for blood purification, skin blemishes and allergic conditions.
• • The rhizome of turmeric is stimulant and aromatic.
• • It is a skin tonic, provides royal lustre and glow, imparts youthful, vitality and vigour.
• • It is diuretic, wound healer, expectorant, analgesic, germicidal, anti-flatulent, anti-inflammatoty, bone setter, protector of eyes and eye vision.
• • Externally used in treartment of scabies, itching, boils, eczema, abscesses.
• • Internally it is used in the treatment of asthma, cough. cold, fever, obstinate skin diseases, urticaruia, jaundice, parasitic infections, constipation.
• • In one piolet project, adding turmeric to regular exercise provided enhanced cardiovascular fitness in postmenopausal women.
• • In another study turmeric had improved joint pain and stiffness, physical, social function in arthritis patients.
• • A piolet study demonstrated improved symptoms and reduced medications from oral turmeric in patients with ulcerative colitis and chrohn’s disease.
• • Turmeric is a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Results indicates that it can suppress tumor promotion and metastasis and therefore has enormous potential as an anticancer agent.

Other Uses

• • Rhizomes are boiled, dried and made into powder, which gives a yellow colour and which is used largely as colouring agent and as condiments entering largely into the composition of Indian pickles and curry powder.
• • Now a days it is used for beauty care and skin to improve complexion and overall beuty. Haldi is used at the time of marriage for both bride and her groom.
• • It is often used as food supplement and indespensible ingredient of curry powder.
• • In Asia, Turmeric is eaten as a food both raw and cooked. While turmeric root resemble with that of ginger root, it is less fibrous and is more chewable, crunchy, and succulent. The fresh root has a somewhat sweet and nutty flavour mixed with its bitter flavour. As a result, it is pleasant to eat and not difficult to chew. It is sometimes chewed plain or chopped up and part of raw salads.
• • It is grind in a mortar to make a paste to mix with other spices for flavouring in curries. Currently, the dried root powder as the base of most curries in India and other nearby countries.

Home Remedies

• • To expel intestinal worms, mix pinch of salt in 20 ml of raw turmeric taken daily early in the morning for few days.
• • In painful piles turmeric gives great relief.
• • In catarrh and coryza, the inhalation of fumes of burning turmeric gives instant relief.
• • For the control of chronic diarrhoea, turmeric and alum powder in 1:20 proportion is blown into ears.
• • In the treatment flatulence, dyspepsia, and weak state of stomach, 15 – 20 grains haridra twice day is advised.
• • A paste of turmeric alone or combined with neem leaves is used in ring worms, eczema, itching, and other parasitic skin diseases.
• • Smoke generated by sprinkling powder turmeric over burnt charcoal will relieve scorption sting when affected part is exposed to a smoke for few minutes.
• • Milk boiled with turmeric rhizome and then sw Sprain, inflammatory conditions of joints and burns are the main indications for local application of haridra paste eetened with sugar give instant relief to cold.
• • Intestinal disorders and chronic diarrhoea are controlled by taking rhizome juice mix with buttermilk.