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Turmeric has been used for centuries in culinary dishes or for medicinal purposes. The Chinese used it to cure shoulder pain, menstrual cramps and colic, the Samoans used it in powder form to treat skin ulcers, acne, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis and applied it to a newborns navel, in Thailand it was used to dye the robes of Buddhist monks and the Indians have used it extensively for curries, medicinal, ceremonial and beauty.

No Indian household goes without it. Turmeric or curcuma longa and known to the Indians as haldi, is part of the ginger family. It has a bitter musty flavour and gives Indian curries its yellow orange colour.

It is used to treat wounds as well as cough, flu, runny nose mixed with milk or honey. South Indian women use it in their oil baths which is usually done on Fridays. It is considered auspicious as well as beautifies the skin and keeps the body hairless. In North Indian traditional weddings the bride and groom apply turmeric for bright glowing skin and to ward off the evil eye. Turmeric is crushed and mixed in salt water during ceremonies to remove negative energy from people, places and things. Hindus consider it a symbol of prosperity and so cleanse the whole body using turmeric.

Due to the healing properties of turmeric it is now used in cosmetics and drugs and the oil obtained from the leaf is used as sunscreen and biopestiside. It is used extensively in Indian medicine (Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha) to treat digestive disorders such as flatulence, bloating and loss of appetite, internally in the form of powder or fresh juice. Externally it is used as a paste, oil, ointment or lotion to treat ulcers, wounds, eczema and inflammations.

Juices extracted from the root and mixed with water are used to treat earache and clear sinuses. The astringent properties of turmeric are useful in clearing consumption, tuberculosis, bronchitis, colds and asthma. It has been used as a diuretic and used topically to treat acne and to stop bleeding. Every Indian housewife knows to use turmeric when she cuts herself in the kitchen.

Previously Westerners did not realize the medical properties of turmeric, instead have thought of it as an herb for cooking until now. Most research done on turmeric has been done in India and it was found that the yellow pigment in turmeric called curcumin is what gives the herb its medicinal properties. Indian researchers tested its immune functions on lab animals and found that there was improvement in their immune system. Used

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