turmeric

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turmeric
Turmeric or turmeric (Curcuma longa)

Turmeric or turmeric ( Curcuma longa )

Systematics
Order : Gingery (Zingiberales)
Family : Ginger family (Zingiberaceae)
Subfamily : Zingiberoideae
Tribe : Zingibereae
Genre : Turmeric
Type : turmeric
Scientific name
Curcuma longa
L.

The turmeric or Kurkume ( Curcuma longa ), and Yellow Ginger, saffron Wurz (el) , turmeric (el) , Gilbwurz (el) or Curcuma called, is a plant species within the family of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). It comes from South Asia and is widely cultivated in the tropics .

The rhizome is very similar to that of ginger , but is intensely yellow; the peeled rhizome is used fresh and dried as a spice and coloring agent. It contains up to five percent typical essential oils and up to three percent of the curcumin responsible for the yellow color or its derivatives. The rhizome stimulates digestion.

description

Illustration of turmeric from Koehler's medicinal plants. 1897

Appearance and leaf

A turmeric rhizome and the powder made from it

Turmeric is a perennial herbaceous plant that reaches heights of up to 1 meter. Strongly branched, yellow to orange, cylindrical, aromatic rhizomes are formed as persistence organs, which develop tubers at the ends .

The rhizome is very similar to that of ginger , but is intensely yellow. It contains up to five percent typical essential oils and up to three percent of the curcumin responsible for the yellow color or its derivatives (curcuminoids). Besides curcumin (60%), demethoxycurcumin (25%) and bisdemethoxycurcumin (15%) are the most important chemical components . The essential oil consists of 60% sesquiterpenes , such as Turmeron (up to 30%), ar-Turmeron (up to 25%), Atlanton and Zingiberen (up to 25%) and monoterpenes ( Cymen , 1,8-Cineol , Phellandren , Sabinen , Borneol and others). Further sesquiterpene derivatives occur in different species and are partly species-specific. Some common ingredients are sugars, proteins, and resins.

The alternate and two-lined, bare leaves are divided into leaf sheath, petiole and leaf blade. A false stem is formed from the leaf sheaths. The leaf stalk is 20 to 45 centimeters long. The simple leaf blades are elongated to elliptical with a length of usually 30 to 45, rarely up to 90 centimeters and a width of 15 to 18 centimeters with a narrowing blade base and a briefly pointed upper end.

Inflorescence, flower and fruit

Habit, leaves and inflorescence of the turmeric plant

In China, the flowering time is usually in August. At the end of the false stem sits the 12 to 20 centimeter long inflorescence stem, above which stands the cylindrical, spiked inflorescence , which contains many flowers. It is 12 to 18 centimeters high and its diameter ranges from 4 to 9 centimeters. The bracts , over which the flowers stand, are light green, 3 to 5 centimeters long, ovate to oblong and with a blunt upper end. In the upper area of ​​the inflorescence there are bracts with no flowers above them. They are spread out, white to green and sometimes also tinged with reddish purple, and their upper end is pointed.

The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and threefold. The three 0.8 to 1.2 cm long sepals are fused, white, hairy and the three calyx teeth unequal. The three light yellow petals are fused to form a corolla tube up to 3 centimeters long. The three corolla lobes from 1 to 1.5 centimeters in length are triangular with a spiked upper end; the middle corolla lobe is larger than the two lateral ones. Only the middle stamen of the inner circle is fertile. The anthers spurred at its base. All other stamens are converted to staminodes. The outer staminodes are shorter than the labellum. The labellum is yellowish, with a yellow band in its center, and it is obovate with a length of 1.2 to 2 cm. Three fruit leaves are an under-earth, dreikammerigen ovary grown, the hairy sparse.

The capsule fruit opens with three compartments.

Chromosome number

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 48.

Use as a spice

Turmeric powder

Fresh, the rhizome has a resinous, slightly burning taste; when dried, it tastes mildly spicy and somewhat bitter - it is mainly used ground because of its coloring power, for example as an essential component of curry powder . Turmeric is much cheaper than saffron, which also has a strong yellow color .

Turmeric use has been documented in India for 4000 years. Turmeric was considered sacred and was one of the most important spices even then. In the traditional Indian art of healing Ayurveda , it is counted among the "hot" spices, which are said to have a cleansing and energizing effect. India is the world's largest cultivation country and consumes around 80% of the world's harvest. While dried turmeric is mostly used in India , the fresh, grated tuber is widely used in Southeast Asia, for example in Thai cuisine. In western cuisine, turmeric plays a subordinate role as a component of curry powder, as a cheap substitute for saffron or as a coloring agent in the food industry, for example for mustard , pasta or turmeric rice .

Turmeric should be stored in the dark and not too long, as the light quickly fades in color and loses its aroma.

Medicinal effects

Curcumin is the subject of a large number of medical studies on many different diseases. Since curcumin, one of the strongest pan-assay interference compounds (PAINS), can cause false-positive results in chemical tests (for example high-throughput screenings ), a large part of the positive results published on it are probably incorrect. Due to the low oral bioavailability of curcumin, it is unlikely that the results of in vitro studies can be transferred to humans. No form of curcumin or its closely related analogs appears to be a good drug candidate because it does not possess any of the desired properties. So far, no placebo-controlled double-blind study has been successful.

In 2016, James W. Daily et al. a. presented a meta-analysis which showed a pain-relieving effect with high statistical significance . ( See also : Curcumin: osteoarthritis and pain )

Turmeric has a stimulating effect on gastric juice production . In contrast, the Brockhaus encyclopedia describes its influence on bile acid production in 1988 : "The dried rootstock of the Javanese turmeric xanthorrhiza contains a pungent-tasting orange-yellow essential oil with a cholatory and bile-promoting effect." (Brockhaus)

Some authors attribute cancer-inhibiting, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects to the yellow coloring substances contained in some types of turmeric, which also include curcumin . In genetically modified mice, curcumin showed in individual studies effective against cystic fibrosis , but this effect could not be reproduced in human subjects before. Other research suggests that curcumin may help break down the tumor suppressor protein p53 and thus promote the growth of cancer cells. In this regard, however, the data situation is by no means clear, since Aggarwal et al. In 2005 an experiment was described in which, on the contrary, p53 in curcumin-treated breast cancer cells actually increased. A scientific proof of these mechanisms in human test persons has not yet been carried out.

Structural formula of curcumin: keto form (top) and enol form (bottom)

Curcumin is said to have an anti-inflammatory effect by inhibiting the enzymes cyclooxygenase-2 , lipoxygenase and NO synthase . Such an effect of curcumin was u. a. claimed in patients with knee osteoarthritis . The reduction in inflammation was also postulated as the cause of the cancer-inhibiting effect suspected by some authors but not yet scientifically proven.

A study that was not controlled and therefore not in line with scientific standards came to the conclusion that curcumin together reduced the number and size of polyps in patients with familial adenomatous polyposis . Another study found that curcumin inhibited the formation and spread of breast cancer metastasis in a mouse model , v. a. in combination with the active ingredient paclitaxel , a common agent in the treatment of breast cancer. It is not known whether this is relevant to humans.

Furthermore, effects of curcumin on bone metabolism were postulated. One study found a decrease in the concentration of the RANK ligand (receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand) in the bone marrow and an inhibition of the development of osteoclasts . In a mouse model, it counteracted the loss of bone density caused by a lack of estrogen . It is not known whether this can also lead to bone health promoting effects in humans.

Due to a pronounced first pass effect , the bioavailability of curcumin is low. Shoba et al. reported that in combination with piperine ( curcuperin ), a component of pepper, the bioavailability of curcumin in humans can be increased by 2000%. The effect is based on the inhibition of hepatic and intestinal glucuronidation by piperine. When taking other drugs at the same time, it should be noted that this inhibition can also lead to interactions with other active ingredients. Other approaches to the improved absorption of curcumin - without increased risk of this interaction - are based on the formation of microemulsions. Here, increases in bioavailability from approx. 350% (Meriva) up to 5000% (Arantal) could be achieved.

In Indonesian traditional medicine , turmeric is used as the main component of jamu , the traditional Indonesian remedies, without scientific evidence of its effectiveness, against a variety of diseases, for general strengthening of the immune system and for the prevention of infections and respiratory diseases. In this context, an increased tendency to bleeding has been reported as a side effect.

Turmeric and Javanese turmeric as medicinal products

In Germany the drug turmeric was included as Rhizoma Curcumae 1930 in supplementary volume 5 (Erg.-B. 5) to the DAB as a herbal medicine. In the revised edition 10 of the DAB (with the new Latin drug names) it is listed as Rhizoma Curcumae Longae. Javanese turmeric ( Curcuma xanthorrhiza Roxb.), Which also belongs to the genus Curcuma , has been included in DAB 8 since 1978.

According to the German Green Cross, an exact and sufficiently high dosage should be decisive for the effect .

A turmeric plantation

Other uses

In addition to being a spice and coloring food, turmeric was used for coloring paper , varnishes and ointments in a limited way up until the 20th century . In the traditional fabrics of Timor ( Tais ), turmeric is used for coloring. Depending on the use, yellow to deep orange shades are created. Paper dyed yellow with curcumin (turmeric paper) was used in chemistry as an indicator paper for alkalis, from which it is colored red-brown (transition point at pH = 8.6). The turmeric dye curcumin is used as an important reagent for the detection of boron in the form of boric acid , with which it provides the red dye rosocyanine in acidic solution .

The long-lasting, cream to pink inflorescence of the turmeric plant is used as a cut flower .

Because turmeric is relatively inexpensive, it is widely used by counterfeiters to stretch saffron . The above reaction with alkalis such as caustic soda is used to check the goods.

A. Bernecker, Curcuma domestica Valeton (= Curcuma longa), around 1860

Patent conflict

In March 1995 the two researchers Suman K. Das and Hari Har P. Cohly from the Medical School of the University of Mississippi were granted a patent (US 5,401,504) on turmeric for use as a wound remedy. Following a lawsuit filed by the Indian Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) against the United States Patent and Trademark Office , this and other turmeric-related patents were canceled. Plaintiffs were able to provide multiple written evidence that turmeric has been used to treat wounds and rashes for thousands of years and that its medicinal use is not a new invention. Among other things, an old Sanskrit text was used that had already been published in 1953 in the Journal of the Indian Medical Association .

Common names

For turmeric there are or existed the other German-language common names : turmeric , curcume, jaundice, gilbwurtzel, gilbwurzimber, gurkume, gurkumey, yellow ginger, miller's ginger, Babylonian saffron, Indian saffron, tumerik and turmarik.

See also

Web links

Commons : Turmeric ( Curcuma longa )  - album with pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Curcuma  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations
Wiktionary: Turmeric  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

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Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Delin Wu, Kai Larsen: Zingiberaceae : Curcuma longa. In: Wu Zheng-yi, Peter H. Raven (Ed.): Flora of China. Volume 24: Flagellariaceae through Marantaceae. Science Press and Missouri Botanical Garden Press, Beijing / St. Louis, 2000, ISBN 0-915279-83-5 .
  2. ↑ Fred Siewek: Exotic Spices Origin Use Ingredients . Springer-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-0348-5239-5 , pp. 72 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  3. ^ Rudolf Hänsel, Konstantin Keller, Horst Rimpler, Gerhard Schneider: Drugs AD . Springer-Verlag, 2013, ISBN 978-3-642-58087-1 , pp. 1085 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
  4. ^ Curcuma longa at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
  5. ↑ Kathryn M. Nelson, Jayme L. Dahlin, Jonathan Bisson, James Graham, Guido F. Pauli, Michael A. Walters: The Essential Medicinal Chemistry of Curcumin . In: Journal of Medicinal Chemistry . tape 60 , no. 5 , January 11, 2017, p. 1620-1637 , doi : 10.1021 / acs.jmedchem.6b00975 , PMID 28074653 .
  6. ↑ Monya Baker: Deceptive curcumin offers cautionary tale for chemists . In: Nature . tape 541 , no. 7636 , January 9, 2017, p. 144-145 , doi : 10.1038 / 541144a .
  7. ↑ James W. Daily, Mini Yang, Sunmin Park: Efficacy of Turmeric Extracts and Curcumin for Alleviating the Symptoms of Joint Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials . In: Journal of Medicinal Food . tape 19 , no. 8 , August 1, 2016, p. 717-729 , doi : 10.1089 / jmf.2016.3705 , PMID 27533649 .
  8. ↑ Brockhaus Encyclopedia. in 24 volumes, 19th completely revised. Edition, Volume 5, Brockhaus, Mannheim 1988, p. 56.
  9. ↑ a b c Bharat B. Aggarwal, Shishir Shishodia, Yasunari Takada, Sanjeev Banerjee, Robert A. Newman, Carlos E. Bueso-Ramos, Janet E. Price: Curcumin suppresses the paclitaxel-induced nuclear factor-kappaB pathway in breast cancer cells and inhibits lung metastasis of human breast cancer in nude mice . In: Clinical Cancer Research . tape 11 , no. 20 , 2005, pp. 7490-7498 , doi : 10.1158 / 1078-0432.CCR-05-1192 , PMID 16243823 .
  10. ^ Marie E. Egan, Marilyn Pearson, Scott A. Weiner, Vanathy Rajendran, Daniel Rubin, Judith Glöckner-Pagel et al .: Curcumin, a Major Constituent of Turmeric, Corrects Cystic Fibrosis Defects . In: Science . tape 304 , no. 5670 , 2004, p. 600-602 , doi : 10.1126 / science.1093941 , PMID 15105504 .
  11. ↑ Peter Tsvetkov, Gad Asher, Veronica Reiss, Yosef Shaul, Leo Sachs, Joseph Lotem: Inhibition of NAD (P) H: quinone oxidoreductase 1 activity and induction of p53 degradation by the natural phenolic compound curcumin . In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . tape 102 , no. 15 , 2005, pp. 5535-5540 , doi : 10.1073 / pnas.0501828102 , PMID 15809436 .
  12. ^ A b Venugopal P. Menon, Adluri Ram Sudheer: Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin . In: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology . tape 595 , 2007, p. 105-125 , doi : 10.1007 / 978-0-387-46401-5_3 , PMID 17569207 .
  13. ↑ K. Madhu, K. Chanda, MJ Saji: Safety and efficacy of Curcuma longa extract in the treatment of painful knee osteoarthritis: a randomized placebo-controlled trial . In: Inflammopharmacology . tape 21 , no. 2 , 2013, p. 129-136 , doi : 10.1007 / s10787-012-0163-3 , PMID 23242572 .
  14. ↑ Marcia Cruz-Correa, Daniel A. Shoskes, Patricia Sanchez, Rhongua Zhao, Linda M. Hylind, Steven D. Wexner, Francis M. Giardiello: Combination treatment with curcumin and quercetin of adenomas in familial adenomatous polyposis . In: Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology . tape 4 , no. 8 , 2006, p. 1035-1038 , doi : 10.1016 / j.cgh.2006.03.020 , PMID 16757216 .
  15. ↑ Sora Oh, Tae-Wook Kyung, Hye-Seon Choi: Curcumin inhibits osteoclastogenesis by decreasing receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL) in bone marrow stromal cells . In: Molecules and Cells . tape 26 , no. 5 , 2008, p. 486-489 , PMID 18719352 .
  16. ↑ WK Kim et al .: Curcumin protects against ovariectomy-induced bone loss and decreases osteoclastogenesis . In: Journal of Cellular Biochemistry . tape 112 , no. 11 , 2011, p. 3159-3166 , doi : 10.1002 / jcb.23242 , PMID 21732406 .
  17. ↑ Guido Shoba et al .: Influence of Piperine on the Pharmacokinetics of Curcumin in Animals and Human Volunteers . In: Planta Medica . tape 64 , no. 4 , 1998, pp. 353-356 , doi : 10.1055 / s-2006-957450 .
  18. ↑ Yves Henrotin, Fabian Priem, Ali Mobasheri: curcumin: a new paradigm and therapeutic opportunity for the treatment of osteoarthritis: curcumin for osteoarthritis management . In: SpringerPlus . tape 2 , no. 1 , 2013, p. 56 , doi : 10.1186 / 2193-1801-2-56 , PMID 23487030 , PMC 3591524 (free full text).
  19. ↑ This healing effect has turmeric. In: t-online. October 5, 2019, accessed February 21, 2020 .
  20. ↑ Calendar for 2013, March sheet. Gebr. Storck GmbH & Co. Verlags-oHG, Oberhausen 2012
  21. ↑ Tais Timor-Leste: About Tais ( Memento of the original from August 30, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed on August 29, 2017. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / taistimorleste.com
  22. ^ Environmental Audit House of Commons - Second Report - APPENDIX 7 - Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) and Farmers' Rights , Session 1998–1999. November 23, 1999 ( publications.parliament.uk ).
  23. ^ Georg August Pritzel , Carl Jessen : The German folk names of plants. New contribution to the German linguistic treasure. Philipp Cohen, Hannover 1882, p. 121 f. ( Text archive - Internet Archive ).