Turmeric (Curcuma longa) · Herb Profile

At a glance

Botanical name: Curcuma longa
Family: Zingiberaceae
Part used: Rhizome
Taste: Bitter, Pungent
Temperature: Warm
Moisture: Dry

Safety at a glance

In pregnancy

Culinary safe; concentrated extracts — caution

While breastfeeding

Culinary use safe; avoid high medicinal doses during breastfeeding (bile stimulation, potential infant colic).

For children

Culinary safe; therapeutic doses — avoid under 12

Cautions

Avoid with bile duct obstruction; anticoagulant caution at high doses; poor absorption without fat/piperine

General contraindications

Culinary safe; therapeutic concentrated extracts — caution

Stewardship

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is cultivated widely in tropical Asia; India produces 80% of world supply. Stewardship: Ayurvedic 'golden goddess' — a plant that travels across food, medicine, ceremony; Eden's position honors the plant without adopting the theology.

In the traditional record

Turmeric — Curcuma referenced in Vedic literature as a sacred cleansing plant; used in Hindu ceremonies; referenced in Sanskrit texts as haridra

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Educational use

The Apothecary is educational and does not constitute medical advice. Nothing here is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before changing what you take, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or managing a diagnosed condition.

On our sources

These entries draw on public-domain materia medica, most of it published before 1900, alongside a smaller number of modern reference works. Energetic qualities such as warming, cooling, drying and moistening are a traditional framework for describing how a plant behaves in the body, not a laboratory measurement. Where a period source states one, we cite it. Where none does, and for many North American herbs none exists, the value reflects modern herbal consensus rather than a historical text. When we cannot support a caution with real evidence, we say nothing rather than guess.