Botanical name : Curcuma longa Linn.
Family : Zingiberaceae
SANSKRIT SYNONYMS
Haridra, Varavarnini
AYURVEDIC PROPERTIES
Rasa : Tikta, Katu
Guna : Guru, Snigdha
Virya : Ushna
PLANT NAME IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES
English : Turmeric
Hindi : Haldi, Halda
Malayalam : Manjal, Pachamanjal, Varattumanjal
Distribution – Cultivated throughout India.
PLANT DESCRIPTION
A perennial herb grows up to 60 cm in height with underground stem. Leaves simple, large, with long petiole, oblong – lanceolate and acute. Flowers pale yellow in long spikes. Underground rhizomes cylindrical, ovoid, orange colored when cut and much branched.
MEDICINAL PROPERTIES
Plant pacifies vitiated kapha, pitta, skin diseases, ulcers, wounds, inflammations, pruritus, allergy, tumor, cough, asthma malignancy, tumors and hemorrhoids.
Useful part : Rhizome