Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - vol 45 - Turmeric- The Genus Curcuma

Preface
Among the crops used by humankind, the history of spices is perhaps the most adventurous, the
most fascinating, and the most romantic. In the misty distant past, when the primitive man was
roaming around the forests in search of food and shelter, he might have tested and tasted many
roots and leaves and might have selected those that were aromatic and spicy as of special value
and used them to propitiate his primitive gods to save him from the raging storm, thunder, lightning,
and rain. Out of the misty darkness of that distant past, the early civilizations blossomed when
man settled down and started practicing agriculture. In all civilizations, the aromatic plants were
given special status, and many were probably used as offerings to gods. Gradually, man might have
started using them for curing various illnesses and, in the course of time, spices and aromatic plants
acquired magical associations about their properties. Among all the civilizations, it was in the
Indian and Chinese where that profound knowledge gradually evolved in the use of plants and plant
products for the treatment of human ailments.
From the dawn of human civilization, spices were sought after as eagerly as gold and precious
stones. Discovery of the spice land was one of the aims of all circumnavigations and the great
explorations that the period of Renaissance witnessed. One such navigational venture in search of
the famed land of spices and ivory reached the ancient Malabar Coast of India on May 20, 1498.
Vasco da Gama discovered the sea route to India. The decades that followed witnessed the Portuguese
establishment of trade relations with the Malabar Coast and, subsequently, they emerged as
powerful players in the game of power politics of the region. The landing of Gama also witnessed
the transition from Medieval to the Modern India and the rising of the global imperialism and
colonial power struggles. The Portuguese, the Dutch, French, and finally the British established
their supremacy over the spices trade in the decades that followed.
Turmeric has been valued as a source of medicine and color in the whole of South Asia, from
ancient times. Probably man would have been attracted to this plant due to its attractive color and
in due course, it acquired many religious and sociocultural associations. For the ancient people of
India, turmeric was the “Oushadhi — the medicinal herb,” and possibly it might have played a
great role in the day-to-day life of ancient Indians as a wound healer, as a medicine for stomach
ache, flatulence, poison, etc., for dyeing clothes and yarns, and for worshipping their gods and
goddesses. This plant has acquired great importance in the present-day world with its antiaging,
anticancer, anti-Alzheimer’s, antioxidant, and a variety of other medicinal properties. This volume
is the first comprehensive monographic treatment on turmeric. It covers all aspects of turmeric —
botany, genetic resources, crop improvement, chemistry, biotechnology, production technology,
post harvest and processing, pharmacology, medicinal uses, traditional uses, and its use as a spice
and a flavorant. There is also a chapter on related economically important species.
The book comprises 15 chapters, each written by experts in their respective field and each
chapter having an exhaustive bibliography. Experts from Japan, India, United States, and United
Kingdom collaborated in the production of this monograph.
The editors of this volume have extensive experience in genetic resource collection, conservation,
botany, breeding, biotechnology, and agronomy of turmeric. As the former national coordinator
for spices research under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, the senior editor had the
opportunity of associating with various turmeric research programs being carried out in India —
the only country having a strong research and development program in turmeric. The editors tried
to collect and collate as much information as possible about turmeric in this volume and with over
2,156 citations this becomes a very valuable database. This was not an easy task, and the editors