Curcuma longaL.

(Haridra)



Common nameHaridra
HabitHerb
HabitatCultivated
Parts usedRhizome

Synonyms

Sr. No. Synonyms
1Amomum curcuma Jacq.
2Curcuma domestica Valeton
3Kua domestica Medik.
4Stissera curcuma Giseke
5Curcuma tinctoria Guibourt

Taxonomical information

KingdomViridiplantae
PhylumStreptophyta
ClassMagnoliopsida
OrderZingiberales
FamilyZingiberaceae
GenusCurcuma
SpeciesCurcuma longa L.

Vernacular names

SanskritAmeshta, Rajani
EnglishIndian saffron
HindiHaldi
KannadaArishina
MarathiHalad
MalayalamManjal
BengaliHalud
TamilAmeshta
TeluguPasupu, Pasupu kommulu
UrduHaldi

Morphology

Perennial herb with medium sized rhizome, tufted leaf and short stem. Plant grows from root to leaves about 80-120 cm long with 4-6 leaves, distichous. Leaf is green in colour and surface is glossy and smooth. Flowers are white to light yellow in colour and form tall spike. Rhizomes are underground stems that are root-like structure. Rhizomes are externally light brown in colour. Internally they are bright orange or yellow in colour. These are ovate, oblong or pyriform or cylindrical in its shape

Distribution

Commonly found in Cambodia, China, India, Nepal, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Philippines and Vietnam. Within India, it is cultivated in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Maharashtra, and also in Madras

Medicinal uses

Treatment of biliary disorders, anorexia, cough, diabetic wounds, hepatic disorders, rheumatism and sinusitis

References

1Kumar, N., and Sakhya, S. K. (2013). Ethnopharmacological properties of Curcuma longa: a review. International Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research, 4, 103.
2Khalandar, S. D., Adithya, T. N., Basha, S. J., Koshma, M., Subbareddy, U. V., and Reddy, V. (2018). A current review on curcuma longa linn. Plant. International Journal of Pharmaceutical, Chemical & Biological Sciences. 8
3Vattakaven, T., George, R. M., Balasubramanian, D., Rejou-Mechain, M., Muthusankar, G., Ramesh, B. R., and Prabhakar, R. (2016). India Biodiversity Portal: An integrated, interactive and participatory biodiversity informatics platform. Biodiversity Data Journal, 4, e10279.
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