Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-25T19:35:07.800Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Genetic resources of Curcuma: diversity, characterization and utilization

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2007

B. Sasikumar*
Affiliation:
Indian Institute of Spices Research, Calicut, 673 012, Kerala, India
*
*Corresponding author: E-mail: bhaskaransasikumar@yahoo.com

Abstract

The genus Curcuma (family Zingiberaceae) comprising over 80 species of rhizomatous herbs, is endowed with widespread adaptation from sea level to altitude as high as 2000 m in the Western Ghats and Himalayas. Having originated in the Indo-Malayan region, the genus is widely distributed in the tropics of Asia to Africa and Australia. Curcuma species exhibit inter- and intra-specific variation for the biologically active principles coupled with morphological variation with respect to the above-ground vegetative and floral characters as well as the below-ground rhizome features besides for curcumin, oleoresin and essential oil. Curcuma is gaining importance world over as a potential source of new drug(s) to combat a variety of ailments as the species contain molecules credited with anti-inflammatory, hypocholestraemic, choleratic, antimicrobial, insect repellent, antirheumatic, antifibrotic, antivenomous, antiviral, antidiabetic, antihepatotoxic as well as anticancerous properties. Turmeric oil is also used in aromatherapy and in the perfume industry. Though the traditional Indian Ayurvedic system of medicine and Chinese medicine long ago recognized the medicinal property of turmeric in its crude form, the last few decades have witnessed extensive research interests in the biological activity and pharmacological actions of Curcuma, especially the cultivated species. Turmeric powder obtained from rhizomes of Curcuma longa or related species is extensively used as a spice, food preservative and colouring material, in religious applications as well as a household remedy for bilary and hepatic disorders, anorexia, diabetic wounds, rheumatism and sinusitis in India, China and South-East Asia and in folk medicine. Cucuminoids, the biologically active principles from Curcuma, promise a potential role in the control of rheumatism, carcinogenesis and oxidative stress-related pathogenesis. Curcuma longa L. syn. Curcuma domestica Val., common turmeric, is the most economically valuable member of the genus having over 150,000 hectares under its cultivation in India. In addition to Curcuma longa, the other economically important species of the genus are C. aromatica, used in medicine and toiletry articles, C. kwangsiensis, C. ochrorhiza, C. pierreana, C. zedoaria, C. caesia etc. used in folk medicines of the South-East Asian nations; C. alismatifolia, C. roscoeana etc. with floricultural importance; Curcuma amada used as medicine, and in a variety of culinary preparations, pickles and salads, and C. zedoaria, C. malabarica, C. pseudomontana, C. montana, C. decipiens, C. angustifolia, C. rubescens, C. haritha, C. caulina etc. all used in arrowroot manufacturing. Crop improvement work has been attempted mainly in C. longa and to a little extent in C. amada. At present there are about 20 improved varieties of C. longa in India and one in C. amada, evolved through germplasm/clonal selection, mutation breeding or open-pollinated progeny (true turmeric seedlings) selection. Though work on morphological characterization of Curcuma species has been attempted, its molecular characterization is in a nascent stage except for some genetic fidelity studies of micropropagated plants and isozyme-based characterization. The genus has also been examined from the biochemical profiling and anatomical characterization angle. This article is intended to provide an overview of biological diversity in the genus Curcuma from a utilitarian and bio-prospection viewpoint.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © NIAB 2005

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abbiw, DK (1993) Traditional and modern methods of plant conservation. In Adams, RP et al. (ed.) Conservation of Plant Genes II. Utilization of Ancient and Modern DNA. Missouri Botanic Garden, pp. 101112.Google Scholar
Apavatjrut, P, Anuntalabhochai, P, Sirirugsa, P and Alisi, C (1999) Molecular markers in the identification of some early flowering Curcuma L. (Zingiberaceae) species. Annals of Botany 84: 529534..CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Balachandran, SM, Bhat, SR and Chandel, KPS (1990) In vitro clonal multiplication of turmeric, Curcuma spp. and ginger (Zingiber officinale Rosc.). Plant Cell Reports 8: 521524..CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Banerjee, A and Nigam, SS (1978) Antimicrobial efficacy of the essential oil of Curcuma longa. Indian Journal of Medicine 68: 864866..Google ScholarPubMed
Behura, S (2000) Gas chromatographic evaluation of Curcuma essential oils. In Ramana, KV, Santhosh, JE, Nirmal Babu, K, Krishnamurthy, KS, Kumar, A (eds) Spices and Aromatic Plants—Challenges and Opportunities in the New Century. Proceedings of the Centennial Conference on Spices and Aromatic Plants. Calicut, Kerala: Indian Institute of Spices Research, pp. 291292Google Scholar
Behura, S and Srivastava, VK (2004) Essential oils of leaves of Curcuma species. Journal of Essential Oil Research 16: 109110CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Behura, S, Sahu, S and Srivastava, VK (2002) Major constituents in leaf essential oil of Curcuma longa L. and Curcuma aromatica Salisb. Current Science 83: 1312Google Scholar
Bhavani-Shankar, TN, Sreenivasa-Murthy, V (1979) Effect of turmeric (Curcuma longa) fractions on the growth of some intestinal and pathogenic bacteria in vitro. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 17: 13631366.Google ScholarPubMed
Blasiak, J, Trzeciak, A, Malecka-Panas, E, Drzewoski, J, Iwamienko, T, Szumiel, I and Wojewodzka, M (1999) DNA damage and repair in human lymphocytes and gastric mucosa cells exposed to chromium and curcumin. Teratogen, Carcinogen, Mutagen 19: 1931.3.0.CO;2-H>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bordoloi, AK, Sperkova, J and Leclercq, PA (1999) Essential oil of Curcuma aromatica Salisb. from North East India. Journal of Essential Oil Research 11: 537540.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Borthakur, MP and Bordoloi, DN (1992) Micropropagation of Curcuma amada Roxb. Journal of Spices & Aromatic Crops 1: 154159.Google Scholar
Bronet, I and Ohshima, H (1995) Curcumin—an anti tumour promoter and anti inflammatory agent, inhibits induction of nitric oxide synthase in activated microphages. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 206: 533540.Google Scholar
Buragohain, J and Dutta, GN (1998) Evaluation of externally applied herbal gel, AV/AMP/4 for the treatment of bovine subclinical mastitis. Indian Veterinary Journal 75: 734755.Google Scholar
Burkill, TH (1966) A Dictionary of Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Kulalampur Ministry of Agriculture and Co-operatives.Google Scholar
Chakravorti, AK (1948) Multiplication of chromosome numbers in relation to speciation in Zingiberaceae. Science & Culture 14: 137140.Google Scholar
Chandra, D and Gupta, SS (1972) Antiinflammatory and antiarthritic activities of volatile oil of Curcuma longa ‘(Haldi)’. Indian Journal of Medical Research 60: 138142.Google ScholarPubMed
Chandra, R, Desai, AR, Govind, S and Gupta, PN (1997) Metroglyph analysis in turmeric (C. longa L.) germplasm in India. Scientia Horticulturae 70: 211233.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chandra, R, Govind, S and Desai, AR (1999) Growth, yield and quality performance of turmeric (C. longa L.) genotypes in mid altitudes of Meghalaya. Journal of Applied Horticulture 1: 142144.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chane-Ming, J, Vera, R, Claude Chalchat, J and Cabassu, P (2002) Chemical composition of essential oils from rhizomes, leaves and flowers of Curcuma longa L. from Reunion Islands. Journal of Essential Oil Research 14: 249251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chattopadhyay, I, Biswas, K, Bandyopadhyay, U and Banerjee, RK (2004) Turmeric and curcumin: biological actions and medicinal applications. Current Science 87: 4453.Google Scholar
Chen, HW and Huang, HC (1998) Effect of curcumin on cell cycle progression and apoptosis in vascular smooth cells. British Journal of Pharmacology 124: 10291040.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chen, YC, Kuo, TC, Lin-Shian, SY and Lin, JK (1996) Induction of HSP70 gene expression by modulation of ‘Ca’ ion and cellular of P53 protein by curcumin in cholesterol carcinoma cells. Molecular Carcinogenesis 17: 224234.3.0.CO;2-D>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chhabra, MB, Kumar, R and Gupta, SK (1994) Efficacy of dermocept (herbal) cream against mange in camel and buffalo. Indian Veterinary Journal 75: 167169.Google Scholar
Chin Shing, C, Doung Liang, L, Chang, CS and Lin, DL (1999) The vase life and storage condition on post harvest longevity of the cut flower Curcuma alismatifolia Gagnep. Journal of the Chinese Society of Horticultural Science 45: 6574.Google Scholar
Choudhury, SN, Ghosh, AC, Saika, M, Choudhury, M and Leclercq, PA (1996) Volatile oil constituents of the aerial and underground parts of C. aromatica Salisb. from India. Journal of Essential Oil Research 8: 635638.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cripps, HP (1967) Oleoresin in turmeric, application in pickle production. Glass Packer Process 46: 24Google Scholar
Dan, M, George, V and Pushpangadan, P (2002) Studies on the essential oil of C. haritha Mangaly and Sabu and C. raktakanta Mangaly and Sabu. Journal of Spices & Aromatic Crops 11: 7879.Google Scholar
Deeb, D, Xu, YX, Jiang, H, Gao, X, Janakiram, N, Chapman, RA and Gautam, SC (2003) Curcumin (diferoloyl-methane) enhances tumor necrosis factor related apoptosis inducing ligand-induced apoptosis in LNCaP prostate cancer cells. Molecular Cancer Therapy 2: 95103.Google ScholarPubMed
Dhar, ML, Dhar, MM, Dhawan, BN, Mehrotra, BN and Ray, C (1968) Screening of Indian plants for biological activity: I. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 6: 232247.Google ScholarPubMed
Dixit, VP, Jain, P and Joshi, SC (1988) Hypolipidaemic effect of Curcuma longa L. and Nardostachys jatamansi DC in triton-induced hyperlipidaemic rats. Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology 32: 299304.Google ScholarPubMed
Dutt, S and Tayal, JN (1941) Chemical composition of essential oil derived from the rhizome of Curcuma amada Roxb. Indian Soap Journal 7: 20002005.Google Scholar
Eiserle, RJ (1966) The role of oleoresin in turmeric in the pickling process. Glass Packer Process 45: 48Google Scholar
Ferreira, LAF, Henriques, OB, Andreoni, AAS, Vital, GRF, Campos, MMC, Hebermehi, GG and Moraes, VLG (1992) Antivenom and biological effects of ar-turmerone isolated from Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae). Toxicon 30: 12111218.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Galati, G, Sabzevari, O, Wilson, JX, O'Brien, PJ (2002) Prooxidant activity and cellular effects of the phenoxyl radicals of dietary flavonoids and other polyphenolics. Toxicology 177: 91104.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Garg, SK (1974) Effect of Curcuma longa (rhizome) on fertility in experimental animals. Planta Medica 26: 225227.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Geetha, M and Prabhakaran, PV (1987) Genetic variability, correlation and path coefficient analysis in turmeric. Agricultural Research Journal of Kerala 25: 249254.Google Scholar
Gogoi, R, Bokolial, D and Das, DS (2002) Leaf epidermal morphology of some species of Zingiberaceae. Plant Archives 2: 257262.Google Scholar
de Gomes, D, Alegrio, CLV, de Lima, ME, Leon, LL and Araujo, CA (2002) Synthetic derivatives of curcumin and their activity against Leishmania amazonensis. Arzneimittel-Forschung 52: 120124.Google Scholar
Govindarajan, VS (1980) Turmeric—chemistry, technology and quality. CRC Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition 12: 199301.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gujral, ML, Chowdhary, NK and Saxena, PN (1983) The effect of certain indigenous remedies on the healing of wounds and ulcers. Journal of the Indian State Medical Association 22: 273276.Google Scholar
Halevy, AH (1997 a) Curcuma alismatifolia I. Plant morphology and the effect of tuberous root number on flowering date and yield of inflorescence. In: Hagiladii, A, Umiel, N, Yang, XH, Lilien-Kipnis, H and Boroaclov, A (eds) Proceedings of the Seventh International Symposium on Flower Bulbs, Herzliya, Israel, 10–16 March 1996. Acta Horticulturae 430: 747755.Google Scholar
Halevy, AH (1997 b) Curcuma alismatifolia II. Effect of temperature and day length on the development of flowers and propagules. In: Hagiladii, A, Umiel, N, Yang, XH, Lilien-Kipnis, H and Boroaclov, A (eds) Proceedings of the Seventh International Symposium on Flower Bulbs, Herzliya, Israel, 10–16 March 1996. Acta Horticulturae 430: 755761.Google Scholar
Hazra, P, Roy, A and Bandhopadyay, A (2000) Growth characters as rhizome yield components of turmeric. Crop Research 19: 235246.Google Scholar
Hoque, MM (1995) Performance of turmeric varieties under different management practices. Bangladesh Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research 30: 159163.Google Scholar
Hikino, H (1985) Antihepatotoxic activity of curde drugs. Yakagaka Zasshi 105: 109118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Henry, B (1998) Use of Capsicum and turmeric as natural colours. Indian Spices 35: 714.Google Scholar
Jain, SK and De Fillips, RA (1991) Medicinal Plants of India. Algonac, MI: Reference Publications.Google Scholar
Jangde, CK, Phadnaik, BS and Bisen, VV (1998) Antiinflammatory activity of C. aromatica Salisb. Indian Veterinary Journal 75: 7698.Google Scholar
Jayaprakasha, G, Mohan, Rao LJ and Sakariah, KK (2002) Improved HPLC method for the determination of curcumin, demethoxy curcumin and bisdemethoxy curcumin. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 50: 36683672.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jirovetz, L, Buchbouer, G, Puschmann, C, Shafi, MP and Nambiar, MKG (2000) Essential oil analysis of Curcuma aeruginosa Roxb. leaves from South India. Journal of Essential Oil Research 12: 4749.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joe, B and Lokesh, BR (1994) Role of capsaicin and dietary-3 fatty acids in lowering the generation of reactive oxygen species in rat peritoneal macrophages. Biochimica Biophysica Acta 1224: 255263.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joseph, R, Joseph, T and Jose, J (1999) Karyomorphological studies in the genus Curcuma Linn. Cytologia 64: 313317.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Joshi, HC, Kumar, M, Saxena, MJ and Chhabra, MB (1996) Herbal gel for the control of subclinical mastitis. Indian Journal of Dairy Science 49: 631634.Google Scholar
Kamal Eldin, A, Frank, J, Razdan, A, Tengblad, S, Basu, S and Vessby, B (2000) Effects of dietary phenolic compounds on tocopherol, cholesterol and fatty acids in rats. Lipids 35: 427435.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kapoor, A (1998) Antifungal activities of fresh juice and aqueous extracts of turmeric and ginger. Journal of Phytological Research 10: 5962.Google Scholar
Kato, K, Ito, H, Kamei, K and Iwamota, I (1998) Stimulation of the stress induced expression of stress protein by curcumin in cultured cells and rat tissue in vivo. Cell Stress & Chaperones 3: 152160.2.3.CO;2>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kawamori, T, Lubet, R, Kaskey, RB, Rao, CV and Reddy, BS (1999) Chemo preventive effect of curcumin—a naturally occurring anti-inflammatory agent during the promotion/progression of stage of colon cancer. Cancer Research Baltimore 59: 597601.Google Scholar
Kelly, MR, Xu, J, Alexander, KE and Loo, G (2001) Disparate effects of similar phenolic phytochemicals as inhibitors of oxidative damage to cellular DNA. Molecular Research 485: 309318.Google ScholarPubMed
Khanna, NM (1999) Turmeric—nature's precious gift. Current Science 76: 13511356.Google Scholar
Kojima, H, Yanai, T and Toyota, A (1998) Essential oil constituents from Japanese and Indian Curcuma aromatica Salib. rhizome. Planta Medica 64: 380381.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krishnamurthy, MN, Padma Bhai, R, Natarajan, CP and Kuppusamy, S (1976) Colour content of turmeric varieties and studies of its processing. Journal of Food Science Technology (India) 12: 1214.Google Scholar
Kuo, ML, Huang, TS and Linn, JK (1996) Curcumin—an antioxidant and anti tumour promoter induces apoptosis in human leukemia cells. Biochimica Biophysica Acta 13: 95100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuttan, R, Bhanumathy, P, Nirmala, K and George, MC (1985) Potential anticancer activity of turmeric (Curcuma longa). Cancer Letters 29: 197202.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lalitha, S, Phil, M and Selvam, R (1999) Prevention of CC 14 induced heptatoxicity by aqueous extract of turmeric. Nutrition Research 19: 429441.Google Scholar
Lans, C and Brown, G (1998) Ethno veterinary medicine used for ruminant in Trinidad and Tobago. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 35: 149163.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lechtenberg, M, Quandt, B and Nahrstedt, A (2004) Quantative determination of curcuminoids in Curcuma rhizomes and rapid differentiation of C. domestica Val. and C. xanthorrhiza Roxb. by capillary electrophoresis. Phytochemical Analysis 15: 152158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lee, CJ, Lee, JH, Seok, JH, Hur, GM, Park, YC, Seol, IC and Kim, YH (2003) Effects of baicalcin, berberine, curcumin and hespiridin on mucin release from airway goblet cells. Planta Medica 69: 523526.Google Scholar
Leun Mau, J, Eric, YC, Wang, NP, Chou-Chen, C, Huarng Chang, C, Cherng Chyan, C (2003) Composition and antioxidant activity of the essential oil from Curcuma zedoaria. Food Chemistry 82: 583591.Google Scholar
Liu, N and Wu, TL (1999) Notes on Curcuma in China. Journal of Tropical and Subtropical Botany 7: 146150.Google Scholar
Lutomski, J, Kedzia, B and Debska, W (1974) Effect of an alcohol extract and of active ingredient from Curcuma longa on bacteria and fungi. Planta Medica 26: 919.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lynrah, PG, Barua, PK and Chakrabarti, BK (1998) Pattern of genetic variability in a collection of turmeric genotypes. Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding 28: 201207.Google Scholar
Mandal, MK and Chauhan, JPS (2000) A survey of ethnoveterinary medicine practices in West Bengal. Indian Journal of Veterinary Medicine 20: 9091.Google Scholar
Mangaly, JK and Sabu, M (1993) A taxonomic revision of the South Indian species of Curcuma Linn. (Zingiberaceae). Rheedea 3: 139171.Google Scholar
Marwah, J and Shetty, SN (2000) Essential oil and aromatherapy in holistic healing. Indian Perfumer 44: 215219.Google Scholar
Mathai, CK (1976) Variability in turmeric (Curcuma) species germplasm for essential oil and curcumin. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition 25: 227230.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mazumdar, A, Raghavan, K, Weinstein, J, Kohn, KW and Pommer, Y (1995) Inhibition of human immunodeficiency virus type I integrase by curcumin. Biochemical Pharmacology 49: 11651170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Misra, SK and Sahu, KC (1977) Screening of some indigenous plants for antifungal activity against dermatophytes. Indian Journal of Pharmacology 9: 269272.Google Scholar
Mood, J and Larsen, K (2001) New Curcuma specie from South East Asia. New Plantsman 8: 207217.Google Scholar
Nadagauda, RS, Mascarenhas, AF, Hedra, RR and Jagannathan, V (1978) Rapid multiplication of turmeric (C. longa L.) by plant tissue culture. Indian Journal of Experimental Biology 16: 120122.Google Scholar
Nagabhushan, M and Bhide, SV (1987) Antimutagenicity and anticancerogenicity of turmeric. Journal of Nutrition, Growth and Cancer 4: 83Google Scholar
Narayanasamy, A, Namasivayam, N and Radha, R (2002) Effect of turmeric on the enzyme of glucose metabolism in diabetic rats. Journal of Herbs, Spices and Aromatic Plants 10: 7584.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nazeem, PA and Menon, R (1994) Blossom biological and hybridization studies in turmeric (C. longa L.). South Indian Horticulture 42: 10451051.Google Scholar
Nguyen, XD, Nguyen, TBT and Leclercq, PA (1995 a) Characterization of leaf oil of C. aeruginosa Roxb. from Vietnam. Journal of Essential Oil Research 7: 657659.Google Scholar
Nguyen, XD, Nguyen, TBT and Leclercq, PA (1995 b) Volatile oil constituents of the rhizome, stem and leaf oil of C. pierreana Gagnep. from Vietnam. Journal of Essential Oil Research 7: 261264.Google Scholar
Nguyen, XD, Pham, XT, Pham, Tky and Leclercq, PA (1997) Volatile oil constituents of the leaf, stem, rhizome, root and flower oil of C. harmandii Gagnep. from Vietnam. Journal of Essential Oil Research 9: 6773681.Google Scholar
Nirmal Babu, K, Sasikumar, B, Ratnambal, MJ, Johnson, KG and Ravindran, PN (1993) Genetic variability in turmeric (C. longa L.). Indian Journal of Genetics and Plant Breeding 53: 9193.Google Scholar
Nirmala, C and Puvanakrishnan, R (1996) Protective role of curcumin against isoproterenol induced myocardial infarction in rats. Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry 159: 8593.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Olajide, OA (1999) Investigation of the effects of selected medicinal plants on experimental thrombosis. Phytotherapy Research 13: 231232.3.0.CO;2-2>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Paisookasantivatana, Y and Thepsen, O (2001) Phenetic relationships of some Thai Curcuma species (Zingiberaceae) based on morphological, palynological and cytological evidences. Thai Journal of Agricultural Science 34: 4757.Google Scholar
Paisookasantivatana, Y, Kako, S and Seko, H (2001) Isozyme polymorphism in Curcuma alismatifolia Gagnep. (Zingiberaceae) populations from Thailand. Scientia Horticulturae 88: 244307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Park, E, Jean, CM, Ko, GN, Kim, JB and Sohn, HD (2000) Protective effect of curcumin in rat liver injury induced by carbon tetrachloride. Journal of Pharmacology 52: 437440.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Park, SY and Kim, DSHL (2002) Discovery of natural products from Curcuma longa that protect cells from beta-amyloidal insult, a drug discovery effort against Alzheimer's disease. Journal of Natual Products 65: 12271231.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perotti, AG (1975) Curcumin—a little known but useful vegetable colour. Indian Ailment Prod. Veg. 14: 66Google Scholar
Peter, KV (1999) Informatics on turmeric and ginger. Indian Spices 36: 1214.Google Scholar
Pham, TKy, Van de, Ven, Leclercq, LJMPA and Nguyen, XD (1994) Volatile oil constituents of the essential oil of C. trichosantha Gagnep. from Vietnam. Journal of Essential Oil Research 6: 213214.Google Scholar
Polasa, K, Sasikiran, B and Krishnaswamy, K (1990) Antimutagenicity of curcumin and turmeric. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society of India 36: 102Google Scholar
Prakash, S, Elangomathavan, R, Seshadri, S and Ignacimuthu, S (2004) Efficient regeneration of C. amada Roxb. plantlets from rhizome and leaf sheath explants. Plant Cell, Tissue and Organ Culture 78: 159165.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pitasawat, B, Choochote, W, Tuetun, B, Tippawangkosol, P, Kanjanapothi, D, Jitpakdi, A and Riyong, D (2003) Repellency of aromatic turmeric C. aromatica, under laboratory and field conditions. Journal of Vector Ecology 28: 234240.Google Scholar
Purseglove, JW (1968) Tropical Crops: Monocotyledons. London: Longman.Google Scholar
Purseglove, JW, Brown, EG, Green, CL and Robin, SRJ (eds) (1981) Turmeric. In: Spices, Vol. 2. New York: Longman 532580.Google Scholar
Raghavan, TS and Arora, CM (1958) Chromosome number of Indian medicinal plants II. Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Science Series B 47: 352358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Raghavan, TS and Venkatasubban, KR (1943) Cytological studies in the family Zingiberaceae with special reference to chromosome number and cyto taxonomy. Proceedings of the Indian Academy of Science Series B 17: 118132.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rajakrishnan, V and Menon, VB (2002) Effect of curcumin on carbohydrate moieties of glycoproteins in alcohol induced heptatoxicity. Journal of Herbs, Spices and Aromatic Plants 9: 1928.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rajakrishnan, V, Vishwanathan, P, Rajasekharan, KN and Menon, VP (1999) Neuroprotective role of curcumin from Curcuma longa on ethanol induced brain damage. Phytotherapy Research 13: 571574.3.0.CO;2-7>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ramachandraiah, OS, Azeemoddin, G and Krishnama, C (1998) Turmeric leaf oil, a new essential oil for perfume industry. Indian Perfumer 42: 124127.Google Scholar
Ramachandran, K (1961) Chromosome numbers of genus Curcuma Linn. Current Science 30: 194196.Google Scholar
Ramprasad, C and Sirsi, M (1956) Studies on Indian medicinal plants— Curcuma longa on bile secretion. Journal of Scientific and Industrial Research 15: 262265.Google Scholar
De Ramsewak, RS, Witt, HDL and Nair, MG (2000) Cytotoxicity, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of curcumin I–III from Curcuma longa. Phytomedicine 7: 303308.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rao, JT and Nigam, SS (1974) Essential oil from the rhizome of C. aromatica Salisb. Flavour Industry 5: 234236.Google Scholar
Rao, SD, Chandrasekhara, N, Satyanarayana, MN and Srinivasan, M (1970) Effect of curcumin on serum and liver cholesterol levels in the rat. Journal of Nutrition 100: 13071315.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rasmussen, HB, Christensen, SB, Kvist, LP and Karazmi, A (2000) A simple and effective separation of the curcumin, the antiprotozoal constituents of C. longa. Planta Medica 66: 296298.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ratnambal, MJ (1986) Evaluation of turmeric accessions for quality. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition 36: 243252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Remya, R, Syamkumar, S, Beena, KM, Santhosh, JE, Sasikumar, B (2003) Development of a Curcuma species database. In Proceedings of the Agricultural Bioinformatics Workshop, 29–30. October 2003. Calicut, Kerala: Indian Institute of Spices Research. 1519.Google Scholar
Revarkar, GD and Sen, DP (1975) Antioxidant activity of curcumin and related compounds. Journal of the Oil Technology Association 21: 12101214.Google Scholar
Ridley, HN (1912) Spices. London: Macmillan.Google Scholar
Ritha Porn, T, Monga, M and Rajasekharan, M (2003) Curcumin—a potential vaginal contraceptive. Contraception 68: 219225.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saigura, T (1936) Studies on the chromosome numbers in higher plants. Cytologia 7: 544595.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanghamitra, N and Nayak, S (2000) In vitro multiplication and micro rhizome induction in C. aromatica Salisb. Plant Growth Regulators 32: 4147.Google Scholar
Sasaki, Y, Fushimi, H, Hui, C, Shao, Qing C and Komatsu, K (2002) Sequence analysis of Chinese and Japanese Curcuma drugs on the 18S rRNA genes and trnK gene and the application of amplification refractory mutation system analysis for their authentication. Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 25: 15931599.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sasikumar, B (2001) Turmeric. In: Peter, KV (ed.) Handbook of Herbs and Spices, Vol. 1. Cambridge: Woodhead Publishing, pp. 297308CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sasikumar, B and Sardana, S (1989) Genetic variability in turmeric. Journal of Hill Research 2: 187191.Google Scholar
Sasikumar, B, Ravindran, PN and Johnson, KG (1994) Breeding ginger and turmeric. Indian Cocoa, Arecanut & Spices Journal 18: 1012.Google Scholar
Sasikumar, B, Johnson, KG, Zachariah, TJ, Ratnambal, MJ, Nirmal Babu, K and Ravindran, PN (1996) IISR Prabha and IISR Prathibha—two high yielding and high quality turmeric (C. longa L.) varieties. Journal of Spices & Aromatic Crops 5: 3440.Google Scholar
Sasikumar, B, Krishnamoorthy, B, Johnson, KG, Saji, KV, Ravindran, PN and Peter, KV (1999) Biodiversity and conservation of major spices in India. Plant Genetic Resources Newsletter 118: 1926.Google Scholar
Sasikumar, B, Syamkumar, S, Remya, R and Zachariah, TJ (2004) PCR based detection of adulteration in market samples of turmeric powder. Food Biotechnology 18: 299306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shah, NC (1997) Traditional uses of turmeric (C. longa L.) in India. Journal of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Science 19: 948954.Google Scholar
Shamina, A, Zachariah, TJ, Sasikumar, B and Johnson, KG (1998) Biochemical variation in turmeric (C. longa) accessions based on isozyme polymorphism. Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology 73: 479483.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shao, ZM, Shen, ZZ, Liu, CH, Go Sartippour, MR, Heber, VLD and Nguyen, M (2002) Curcumin exerts multiple suppressive effects on human breast carcinoma cells. International Journal of Cancer 98: 234240.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sharma, AK and Bhattacharyya, NK (1959) Cytology of several members of Zingiberaceae. La Cellule 59: 197346.Google Scholar
Sharma, MC and Joshi, C (2004) Plants used in skin diseases of animals. Natural Product Radiance 3: 293299.Google Scholar
Sharma, OP (1976) Antioxidant activity of curcumin and related compounds. Biochemical Pharmacology 25: 18111812.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sharma, RK, Misra, BP, Sarma, TC, Bordoloi, AK, Pathak, MG and Leclercq, PA (1997) Essential oil of Curcuma longa from Bhutan. Journal of Essential Oil Research 9: 589592.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharma, SC, Mukhtar, H, Sharma, SK, Krishna Murtui, CR (1972) Lipid peroxide formation in experimental inflammation. Biochemical Pharmacology 21: 12101214.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sherlija, KK, Remasree, AB, Unnikrishnan, K and Ravindran, PN (1998) Comparative rhizome anatomy of four species of Curcuma. Journal of Spices & Aromatic Crops 7: 103109.Google Scholar
Singh, G, Singh, OP de, Lampasona, MP and Catalan, C (2003) Curcuma amada Roxb. chemical composition of rhizome oil. Indian Perfumer 47: 143148.Google Scholar
Sinha, M, Mukherjee, BP, Mukherjee, B and Dasgupta, SR (1974) Effect on the 5-hydoxytryptamine contents in guinea pig stomach with regulation in phenylbutazone induced gastic ulcers and the effect of curcumin thereon. Indian Journal of Pharmacology 6: 8796.Google Scholar
Singh, S and Aggarwal, BB (1995) Activation of transcription factor NF-Kappa B is suppressed by curcumin (diferuloylmethane). Journal of Biological Chemistry 270: 2499525000.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sirat, HM, Jamil, S and Rahman, AA (1997) Rhizome oil of C. ochrorhiza Val. Journal of Essential Oil Research 9: 351353.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sirat, HM, Jamil, S and Hussain, J (1998) Essential oil of C. aeruginosa Roxb. from Malaysia. Journal of Essential Oil Research 10: 453458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sirirugsa, P and Newman, M (2000) A new species of Curcuma L. (Zingiberaceae) from S.E. Asia. New Plantsman 7: 196199.Google Scholar
Sopher, DE (1964) Indigenous uses of turmeric (C. domestica) in Asia and Oceania. Anthropos 59: 93127.Google Scholar
Sreeja, SG Molecular characterization ofs Curcuma species using RAPD markers. MSc (Biotech.) Thesis, Periyar University, Tamil Nadu, India.Google Scholar
Srihari Rao, T, Basu, N and Siddiqui, HH (1982) Anti inflammatory activity of curcumin analogues. Indian Journal of Medical Research 75: 574578.Google Scholar
Srimal, RC, Dhawan, BN (1985) Rhizoma Curcuma Longae. In: Arora, BB (ed.) Development of Unani Drugs from Herbal Sources and the Role of Elements in their Mechanism of Action. New Delhi: Hamdard National Foundation Monograph.Google Scholar
Srinivas, L, Shalini, VK and Shylaja, M (1992) Turmerin: a water-soluble antioxidant peptide from turmeric. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 292: 717CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Srivastava, AK, Srivastava, SK and Shah, NC (2001) Constituents of rhizome essential oil of Curcuma amada Roxb. from India. Journal of Essential Oil Research 13: 6366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Srivastava, R and Srimal, RC (1985) Modification of certain inflammation induced biochemical changes by curcumin. Indian Journal of Medical Research 81: 215223.Google ScholarPubMed
Srivastava, R, Dikshit, M, Srimal, RC and Dhawan, BN (1985) Anti thrombotic effect of curcumin. Thrombosis Research 40: 413417.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Surh, YJ (2002) Antitumor promoting potential of selected spice ingredients with antioxidants and anti inflammatory activities: a short review. Food and Chemical Toxicology 40: 10911097.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Surh, YJ, Chun, KS, Cha, HH, Han, SS, Keum, YS, Park, KK and Lee, SS (2001) Molecular mechanism underlying chemo preventive activities of antiinflammatory phytochemicals: down regulation. Molecular Research 480: 243268.Google Scholar
Suryanarayana, P, Krishnaswamy, K and Reddy, GB (2003) Effect of curcumin on galactose induced cataractogenesis in rats. Molecular Vision 9: 223230.Google ScholarPubMed
Thiyagarajan, M and Sharma, SS (2004) Neuroprotective effect of curcumin in middle cerebral artery occlusion induced focal cerebral ischemia in rats. Life Science 74: 969985.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Thugnaigat, AK, Bhargava, MK, Chandrapuria, VP, Pandey, SK and Quadiri, MA (2000) Efficacy of C. longa and Helianthus annus in tissue repair in calves—clinical and biochemical studies. Indian Journal of Veterinary Surgery 21: 7678.Google Scholar
Tonnesen, HH (1986) Chemistry, stability and analysis of curcumin and related component. Journal of Chromatography 259: 367371.Google Scholar
Tripathi, AK, Prajapati, V, Verma, N, Bahl, JR, Bansal, RP, Khanuja, SPS and Kumar, S (2001) Bioactivities of leaf essential oil of C. longa (Var. Ch-66) on three species of stored product beetles (Coleoptera). Journal of Economic Entomology 95: 183189.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Tripathi, S (2001) Curcuma prakasha sp. nov. (Zingiberaceae) from North Eastern India. Nordic Journal of Botany 21: 549550.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Unnikrishnan, MK and Rao, MN (1995) Inhibition of nitric-induced oxidation of haemoglobin by curcuminoids. Pharmazie 50: 490492.Google ScholarPubMed
Vajragupta, O, Boonchoong, P, Watanabe, H, Tohda, M, Kummasud, N and Sumanont, Y (2003) Manganese complexes of curcumin and its derivatives, evaluation for the radical scavenging ability and pauroprotective activity. Free Radical Biology & Medicine 35: 16321644.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Valeton, TH (1918) New notes on the Zingiberaceae of Java and Malaya. Bull. Jard. Buitenzorg Ser. II. 27: 181.Google Scholar
Van Dau, N, Ngoc Ham, N, Huy Khac, D, Thin Lam, N, Tongson, P, Thi Tan, N, Due Van, D, Dhalrgen, S, Grabe, M, Johansson, R, Lindgren, G and Stzernstrom, N (1998) The effect of a traditional drug, turmeric and placebo on the healing of duodenal ulcer. Phytomedicine 5: 2934.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Varghese, J (1999) Curcuminoids, the magic dye of C. longa L. rhizome. Indian Spices 36: 1926.Google Scholar
Varma, SP, Golden, BR and Lin, PS (1998) The inhibition of the esterogenic effect of pesticides and environmental chemicals by curcumin and isoflavonoids. Environmental Health Perspectives 106: 807813.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Velayudhan, KC, Amalraj, VA and Muralidharan, VK (1996) The conspectus of the genus Curcuma in India. Journal of Economic and Taxonomic Botany 20: 345382.Google Scholar
Velayudhan, KC, Muralidharan, VK, Amalraj, VA, Gautam, PL, Mandal, S, Dinesh, Kumar (1999) Curcuma Genetic Resources. Scientific Monograph No. 4New DelhiNational Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources.Google Scholar
Wang, Y, Yan, HW and Zou, WM (1999) HPLC determination of three curcuminoid constituents in rhizoma Curcumae. Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica 34: 467470.Google Scholar
Wannakrairoj, S (1997) Clonal propagation of ‘patumma’, Curcuma alismatifolia Gagnep. Kasetsert Journal of Natural Science 31: 353358.Google Scholar
Winner, MA and Goldbatch, HE (1999) A miniaturised curcumin method for estimation boron in solutions and biological samples. Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science 162: 1519.Google Scholar
Wong, KC, Chong, TC and Chee, SG (1999) Essential oil of C. mangga Val. and Van Zijp. rhizome. Journal of Essential Oil Research 11: 349351.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Xiao, XM, Xia, WJ, Qin, SY, Li, JL, Fang, QM, Shu, GM and Su, ZW (2001) Pattern of recognition of stereoscopic features of the leaves epidermis of medicinal Curcuma plants in China by image analysis. Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi 26: 523528.Google Scholar
Yegnanarayan, R, Saraf, AP and Balwani, JH (1976) Comparison of anti-inflammatory activity of various extracts of Curcuma longa (Linn.). Indian Journal of Medical Research 64: 601608.Google ScholarPubMed
Zachariah, TJ, Sasikumar, B, Nirmal Babu, K (1998) Diversity for quality components in ginger and turmeric germplasm and interaction with environment. In Sasikumar, B, Krishnamoorthy, B, Rema, J, Ravindran, PN, Peter, KV (eds) Proceedings of the Golden Jubilee National Symposium on Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants—Biodiversity, Conservation and Utilization. Kerala, Calicut: Indian Institute of Spices Research, 116120.Google Scholar
Zwaving, JH and Bos, R (1992) Analysis of essential oils of five Curcuma species. Flavour and Fragrance Journal 7: 1922.CrossRefGoogle Scholar