Curcuma longa L. is a plant of the genus curcuma in the ginger family. It has well-developed roots, clumps, and many branches, elliptical or cylindrical. The leaves are oblong or oval; Scape drawn from the top sheath; The spike is cylindrical; Bracts are ovate or oblong, pale green in color; The corolla is pale yellow and turmeric blooms in August. The medicinal name of "turmeric" was first published in the "New Herb", referring to a variety of plants of this genus, and was determined as this species in the Qing Dynasty, and then evolved into the mainstream variety of "turmeric".
Turmeric for medicine and food dual materials, "Compendium of Materia Medica" introduced that turmeric can resist liver damage, reduce blood pressure and lipids, through the pain, has great medicinal value. Curcumin, a natural drug and food substance extracted from turmeric, can regulate the physiological function of human body, and has obvious inhibitory effect on tumor cells. Turmeric and curcumin are listed as food additives by the World Health Organization and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.