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Curcumin is a pigment found in Indian saffron spices, also known as turmeric. The aim of this study is to investigate the antioxidant effect of curcumin, a phytochemical, on the blood tissue of rats. In the study, 24 Wistar rats were 8 weeks old, randomly divided into 2 groups which were the control group and the experimental group was fed with curcumin supplement. Curcumin supplemented group was fed at 300mg/kg/day curcumin dissolved in corn oil by oral gavage for 12 days. 24 hours after the last feeding, TAC (Total Antioxidant Capacity) and TOC (Total Oxidant Capacity) were analyzed in blood samples. In curcumin supplemented group TAC decreased significantly than control group (p

The “Indian saffron” Turmeric is taxonomically called as curcuma longa. It mainly grows in the regions of tropical and sub-tropical areas of the earth. Turmeric cultivation is mainly affected by the diseases attacking the plant. Among the various diseases reported it is unquestionable that rhizome rot causes a huge impact on the yield and economy of the farmers. Nearly 80% of crop loss has been reported due to rhizome rot. Pythium the causal agent of rhizome rot harms the root of turmeric under the soil which is unrecognizable by the farmers at the earlier stage. The paper mainly reviews and covers various aspect of turmeric plant such as geographical distribution, major diseases affecting the plant, disease control and recent detection methods and applications of turmeric in real time.

*Bereli, Nilay ( Aksaray, Yazar ), Cryogels are used in a variety of environmental and biotechnological processes. Cryogels are polymeric materials with large pores and open flow channels. Turmeric is a very popular spice, especially in India, which has been shown to contain curcumin alkaloids to treat a variety of many diseases. Playing a protective and therapeutic role against the diseases results from being able to bind to various targets. In this study, Indian saffron (Turmeric) embedded poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) cryogel discs (Tur-PHEMA/CDs) have been prepared to remove heavy metal ions from waste-water, which is a major environmental problem by utilizing the heavy metal binding property of turmeric. Tur-PHEMA/CDs were used to remove Cu(II), Pb(II), Cd(II) ions. Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) cryogel discs (PHEMA/CDs) were also used as control polymer. The prepared cryogels are characterized by multiple experimental tests. The Tur-PHEMA/CDs and PHEMA/CDs with respectively swelling ratio of 83.6% and 71.2% were used in heavy metal ions adsorption studies. pH values of the solution were changed in the range of 3.0-6.0 to determine optimum pH. Maximum adsorption capacities of the Tur-PHEMA/CDs from aqueous solution were 18.36 mg/g for Cu(II), 8.99 mg/g for Pb(II) and 5.76 mg/g for Cd(II). The affinity order of heavy metal ions on mass basis was Cu(II) > Pb(II) > Cd(II) from synthetic wastewater. EDTA solution (0.5 M) was used for desorbing of heavy metal ions.

Abstract Background: Indian Saffron (Curcuma longa) also called turmeric; has been consumed for centuries by people as a dietary component and used in the traditional medicine as a household remedy for various diseases in India, China and South East Asia. Curcumin (diferuloyl methane), the main yellow bioactive pigment in turmeric has been shown to have a broad spectrum of biological activities. Purpose of study: The present review was performed to evaluate the molecular mechanism of action and role of Curcumin in health and disease. Sources of evidence: The literature search was conducted using Sciencedirect, Medline, Scopus data bases, 26 studies were included in this review. Main arguement: Animal studies with curcumin exhibited its digestive and anti- ulcer role through its excess production of mucin, bile, and digestive enzymes. Curcumin is effective in preventing cognitive impairment in Alzheimer Disease, Parkinson Disease and other oxidative stress related pathologies due to its antioxidative, anti-inflammatory roles. It has been suggested that the ability of curcumin to quench free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS) results in its protective role towards neuronal tissues against toxic chemicals as Manganese. Anticancer effect is mainly mediated through apoptosis of cancer cell lines. Clinically curcumin is used to reduce post-operative inflammation. Conclusions: Safety evaluation studies indicate that both turmeric and curcumin are well tolerated at a high dose without any toxic effects and therefore, have the potential for the development of modern medicine in the treatment of various diseases. Key words: Curcumin, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory.

Turmeric is an important commercial spice crop grown in India and it is named as "Indian saffron". Turmeric is grown in tropical countries like India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Chile, Peru, El Salvador, Japan, China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Taiwan, Jamaica, Thailand and West Indies. The quality of turmeric powder depends upon the initial quality of rhizomes and onfarm processing of turmeric rhizomes which effects curcumin content, organoleptic characteristics, size and general appearance of the dried turmeric rhizomes. The on farm post harvest processing operations consists of washing, curing, drying, polishing, grading and colouring. Curing is a process of cooking the raw rhizomes in hot water to obtain attractive colour, characteristic aroma, destroy the viability of the fresh rhizomes and obviate the raw odour, reduces the time of drying, ensures an even distribution of colour in the rhizomes and gives a better quality product by gelatinisation of the starch (Purseglove and Brown, 1981). The study was conducted to obtain fundamental data on the effect of different floor materials on open yard sun drying and polyhouse drying. It is observed that the moisture content of turmeric fingers increases with increase in temperature of curing and curing time. At the time of 90 minutes the moisture contents were 84.41, 84.48, 84.80 and 85.77 per cent (w.b.) at the curing temperatures of 60, 70, 80 and 90°C, respectively. The moisture contents increased from the initial moisture content of 79.56 per cent (w.b.). It is observed that the floor materials affected the drying time marginally under the conditions of experiments, varied considerably from one method to the other. It is concluded that polyethylene sheet followed by tarpaulin are better floor materials to reduce the drying time and for good quality of turmeric powder.

Turmeric is an important commercial spice crop grown in India and it is named as "Indian saffron". Turmeric is grown in tropical countries like India, Pakistan, Myanmar, Chile, Peru, El Salvador, Japan, China, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Taiwan, Jamaica, Thailand and West Indies. India accounts for 80 per cent of the global production of turmeric. The quality of turmeric powder depends upon the initial quality of rhizomes and on-farm processing of turmeric rhizomes which effects curcumin content, organoleptic characteristics, size and general appearance of the dried turmeric rhizomes. The on farm post harvest processing operations consists of washing, curing, drying, polishing, grading and colouring. Among all, curing, drying and polishing are the important operations of turmeric processing. Curing is a process of cooking the raw rhizomes in hot water to obtain attractive colour, characteristic aroma, destroy the viability of the fresh rhizomes and obviate the raw odour, reduces the time of drying, ensures an even distribution of colour in the rhizomes and gives a better quality product by gelatinisation of the starch (Purseglove and Brown, 1981). Method of curing turmeric varies from place to place.Drying of agricultural produce is an important factor in agricultural processing for improving the keeping qualities of the produce. Utilization of the solar energy for drying the agricultural produce is important. Since all other conventional sources of energy are in the declining trend in their availability, several researchers reported that solar energy is very useful for drying agricultural produce, particularly in India, where good sunshine is available on most of the days in a year for the following reasons, (a) it is pollution free, (b) available at no cost and (c) material drying is faster. The study was conducted to obtain fundamental data on the effect of different floor materials on open yard sun drying and Polyhouse drying. It is observed that the moisture content of turmeric fingers increases with increase in temperature of curing and curing time. At the time of 90 minutes the moisture contents were 84.41, 84.48, 84.80 and 85.77 per cent (w.b.) at the curing temperatures of 60, 70, 80 and 90°C, respectively. The moisture contents increased from the initial moisture content of 79.56 per cent (w.b.). It is observed that the floor materials affected the drying time marginally under the conditions of experiments, varied considerably from one method to the other. It is concluded that polyethylene sheet followed by tarpaulin are better floor materials to reduce the drying time and for good quality of turmeric powder.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) remains a prevalent and difficult-to-manage gastrointestinal condition. There is growing interest in the use of traditional medicine to manage IBS. In particular, curcumin, a biologically active phytochemical, has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties and mucosal protective effects in rat models of colitis. This meta-analysis thus aimed to investigate the hypothesis that curcumin improves IBS symptoms. Using the keywords (curcumin OR turmeric OR Indian saffron OR diferuloylmethane OR curcuminoid) AND (irritable bowel syndrome OR IBS), a preliminary search on the PubMed, Medline, Embase, PsychINFO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases yielded 1080 papers published in English between 1 January 1988 and 1 May 2018. Five randomized, controlled trials were systematically reviewed and 3 were included in the final meta-analysis. Random-effects meta-analysis based on three studies and 326 patients found curcumin to have a beneficial albeit not statistically significant effect on IBS symptoms (pooled standardized mean difference from baseline IBS severity rating &minus, 0.466, 95% CI: &minus, 1.113 to 0.182, p = 0.158). This is the first meta-analysis to examine the use of curcumin in IBS. With its unique anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and ability to modulate gut microbiota, curcumin is a potentially useful addition to our armamentarium of agents for IBS. It also appears safe and well-tolerated, with no adverse events reported in the available trials. However, current findings are based on a considerably limited evidence base with marked heterogeneity. More robust clinical trials involving a standardized curcumin preparation and larger sample sizes should be encouraged.

Curcuma longa L., colloquially known as turmeric or Indian saffron in English, is an important spice and a medicinal plant in the various traditional and folk systems of medicine in India. Turmeric is widely used for treating various ailments and scientific studies have validated many of the ethnomedicinal claims and observations. Preclinical studies have shown that turmeric and its principal compound curcumin are effective as gastroprotective agents in various models of gastric ulcerations such as in pylorus ligation, indomethacin, reserpine, and hypothermic-restraint stress. in vitro studies have shown that curcumin was effective on the bacteria Helicobacter pylori infection, a group I carcinogen, and an etiological agent for peptic ulcers. Clinical studies performed indicate that curcumin as a single therapeutic agent was not beneficial while in combination with standard drugs was beneficial in mitigating the harmful effects of H. pylori on the stomach. This review is an update on the preclinical and clinical observations of various investigators on the gastroprotective effects of turmeric and curcumin by emphasizing the mechanisms responsible for the protective effects.

In this study Crocus sativus L. stigmas obtained from two ecogeographical zones of Jammu and Kashmir, India were evaluated for proximate composition and antioxidant assays. Protein, carbohydrate and caloric value were slightly higher in Kishtwar Jammu cultivar (J) while, moisture, fat and ash contents were higher in Pampore pulwama (K) cultivar but, the difference was non-significant (P > 0.05). In vitro antioxidant assays of methanolic extracts of the C. sativus stigma samples of the two cultivars was evaluated by total phenolic contents (TPC), 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, reducing power, 2,2-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging activity (ABTS), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), ferrous ion-chelating potential (metal chelating activity)and the lipid peroxidation methods at different concentrations (100, 200 and 300 µg/mL). The results showed that TPC, ABTS, FRAP values were significantly higher in J cultivar (P 0.05). The study concluded that saffron from Kishtwar Jammu showed strong antioxidant potential than pampore pulwama cultivar. Thus the selections of saffron from different ecogeographical zones of Jammu and Kashmir are heterogeneous.

Curcuma longa Linn., commonly known as Turmeric, Indian saffron or Haldi belongs to family Zingiberaceae., is a perennial herb with simple and large leaves. Its tubers, rhizomes and oil have great importance. Melaleuca alternifolia commonly known as tea tree oil, belonging to the family myrtaceae, has been used as a botanical medicine in various forms over the centuries for its antibacterial activity. In this study a cream have been formulated using vanishing cream base incorporating Curcuma longa ethanol extract and tea tree oil in different ratio. The formulated creams were tested for their microbicidal activity against various skin pathogens viz. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC25354), Staphylococcus epidermis (ATCC 12228), Propionibacterium acne (ATCC 6919), Candida albicans (ATCC 36232), Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) (Clinical isolate), Methicillin Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) (Clinical isolate). The formulated creams showed ex...

Indian system of medicine has always focused on cure from the nature. Plant products from the Indian household have been used as medicine to cure myriad of ailments since ancestral times. Curcumin is a polyphenol, an active ingredient found in turmeric. In Southeast Asia, turmeric has been used as a coloring, flavoring and as a therapeutic agent. The use of turmeric to treat ailments dates back to the times of Charaka and Shushrutha. It has been widely used as an antiseptic for cuts, burns, and bruises, and as an antibacterial agent. Modern medicine has begun to understand its importance in recent times. Unfortunately its poor solubility, limited absorption and enhanced metabolism limits its bioavailability for its extended therapeutic use. Integration of nanotechnology in drug design and development has led the way to development of nanocurcumin with improved pharmacological properties. A precise understanding of effective dose, safety, and mechanism of action is required for the rational use of turmeric in the treatment of human diseases. This review focuses on the molecular actions of curcumin and its possibility to be used as a therapeutic agent in conditions affecting oral mucosa.

Background Free radicals are involved in various human diseases that can possibly be prevented by antioxidants. There are many but rather expensive methods to determine total antioxidant capacity of human plasma (for endogenous antioxidant levels) or plant extracts/natural compounds (for antioxidant potential in terms of radical inhibiting or scavenging properties). We describe a simple, fast and economical ‘crocin assay’ using the Indian spice saffron. Methods In crocin assay, the extent of bleaching of crocin, a carotenoid from saffron, by peroxyl radicals generated by thermal decomposition of azo-initiator was measured. We examined its applicability to clinical samples and plant extracts. Results The cost of Indian saffron is almost 38 times less per unit dry weight compared to the ‘Sigma’ saffron. Yet, it gives 26 times better yield of crocin than that from ‘Sigma’ saffron. It was also shown that Indian saffron is rich in crocin. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) values of human plasma from normal, healthy individuals, using Sigma as well as Indian crocin, expressed in terms of 6-hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchroman-2-carboxylic acid (Trolox) equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), were comparable. We have also demonstrated that crocin assay can be used for clinical samples such as plasmas from healthy and diabetic individuals. The antioxidant potentials, TEAC, of plant extracts and pure natural compounds by Indian and Sigma crocin assays were similar. Addition of uric acid to plasma induced a concentration-dependent response. The assay was compared to standard radical scavenging 1,1′-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and was found to match well, showing better sensitivity and hence validates this assay for natural compounds and clinical samples. Conclusions Development of crocin assay using the Indian saffron is economical and sensitive method for measurement of total antioxidant capacities from human plasma as well as natural compounds and plant extracts.

Curcuma longa L., colloquially known as turmeric or Indian saffron in English, is an important spice and a medicinal plant in the various traditional and folk systems of medicine in India. Turmeric is widely used for treating various ailments, and scientific studies have validated many of the ethnomedicinal claims and observations. Preclinical studies have shown that turmeric and its principle compound curcumin are effective as a gastroprotective agent in various models of gastric ulcerations like in pylorus ligation, indomethacin, reserpine, and hypothermic-restraint stress. In vitro studies have shown that curcumin was effective on the bacteria Helicobacter pylori infection, a group I carcinogen and an etiological agent for peptic ulcers. However, clinical studies performed with limited number of patients have been contradictory. The current review summarizes the observations for the gastroprotective effects and the mechanisms responsible for this property.

Curcuma longa L. colloquially known as turmeric or Indian saffron in English is an important spice and a medicinal plant in the various traditional and folk systems of medicine in India.

International audience; The Austronesians who settled in Madagascar in the first millennium of the Christian Era were probably different from the Austronesians who reached the East African coast earlier at different times, bringing bananas, taro and yam (Blench 2010). Based on linguistic data, this article proposes that four plants were brought by the first Austronesians in Madagascar: rice, water yam, coconut and Indian saffron. These plants helped the Austronesians to begin the process of colonizing well-watered areas, cultivated both through wet and swidden agriculture. A little later, populations coming from the East African coast introduced other plants (sorghum, cowpea, Bambara pea, banana...) that allowed them to occupy other ecosystems. At the end of the first millennium, different parts of the island were thus already inhabited, on the coasts and in the Highlands, and cultural blendings were already underway. The continuation of migrations, from South-East Asia, from the East African coast and from India in the 2nd millennium would bring increasing complexity in the cultural blendings and allow the repeated introduction of many cultivated plants.

Turmeric is a plant that has a very long history of medicinal use, dating back nearly 4000 years. In Southeast Asia, turmeric is used not only as a principal spice but also as a component in religious ceremonies. Because of its brilliant yellow color, turmeric is also known as "Indian Saffron". Periodontal disease affects approximately 75 percent of adults over age 30. The leading cause of tooth loss, periodontal disease begins with an accumulation of plaque- a sticky deposit of mucus, food particles and bacteria that adheres to the teeth. Turmeric relieves pain and inflammation linked with gingival disease. The objective of this article is to highlight uses of turmeric in the reduction of periodontal disease.