Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is a tropical perennial herb belonging to family Zingiberaceae. It was originally
valued mainly as a spice for food and natural dye for clothing until recently when it was discovered as a potential
source of new drugs for a variety of diseases. Its importance in medicine started with the discovery that the dried
rhizome of the plant is rich in phenolics, identified as curcuminoids, particularly curcumin or diferuloyl methane.
Some of the biological activities and therapeutic properties attributed to curcumin were anti-inflammatory, antioxidant,
anti-carcinogenic, wound healing, and anti-viral properties1
.