Description:
Turmeric root contains a bitter volatile oil, brown coloringmatter, gum, starch, calcium chloride, woody fiber and a yellowishWe offer Indian spices which are renowned world over for theirrich aroma and flavor. Available with us is a wide assortment ofIndian spices that are hand picked by our qualityexperts. Turmeric root is cleaned, boiled, and dried in theoven before being powdered.
A Modern Herbal, states that the root is dense andbreaks into a powder that is lemon yellow in color. Powderedturmeric root is perhaps best known as a popular spice, frequntlyused in Eastern cooking. It is an ingredient of curry powders, andis also used to give mustard its characteristic color. It issometimes used as a substitute for saffron. The addition ofturmeric to such oils as olive or sesame oil extendstheir shelf life due to its antioxidant properties. In addition,some orange and lemon drinks are now colored with turmeric, whichis considered safer than artificial colorings derived from coaltar.
The powdered root of turmeric has been used for making a deepyellow dye for fabrics for hundreds of years, though it does notproduce an enduring color-fast tint. It is also used as a coloringfor medicines at times. A less familiar use of turmeric is inchemistry, in the making of papers to test for alkaline solutions.White paper soaked in atincture of turmericturns reddish-brown and dries to a violet color when analkaline solution is added.
Though its use in Western herbal medicine has declined over theyears, turmeric has long been used and continues in use in Easternmedicine, both Oriental herbal medicine and Ayurveda, thetraditional system of medicine from India. A Brief Review ofMedicinal Properties, describes the herb as having the abilityto protect the liver against toxic substances, especially suchheavy metals as lead; to prevent the formationof gallstones or decrease the size of stones alreadyformed; and to increase the flow of bile. The cucurmin foundin turmeric is being studied as a possible treatment toprevent cancer. Cucurmin appears to lower the rate of geneticmutations in experimental animals. It has also been shown to induceapoptosis, or cell self-destruction, in leukemia cells.In addition, recent studies done on tissue samples from the humandigestive tract indicate that cucurmin may help to prevent coloncancer.
