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Common Name : Haldi / turmeric Plant Parts Used : Rhizome Description : It is a tall herb with large root stocks and consists of rhizomes which are ovate, oblong or pyriform and often short-branched. Rhizome may be 2 to 6 em long and 1 to 1.7 cm thick. Leaves very large, in tufts upto 1.2 ft. Flowers in autumnal spikes 10 to 15 cm long. The plant is a native of Southern Asia and is cultivated throughout the warmer parts of the world. It is grown on a large scale in India, China and East Indies. Characteristics and Constituents : The yellow pigmented fraction, isolated from the rhizomes, contains the curcumins belonging to the dicinnamoyl- methane group. An aromatic oil, turmeric oil, composed of terpene- rocarbon-derivatives and sesquiterpenic ketones has also been isolated. |