Turmeric's anti-inflammatory fame explodes: spring, purple, red and yellow varieties have different benefits, and curcumin is not the only key

As the COVID-19 (commonly known as Wuhan pneumonia) pandemic continues to escalate, how to boost immunity has drawn widespread concern, and turmeric, which has anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects, has recently attracted intense attention for its potential in epidemic prevention. Turmeric has the characteristic of being "both medicine and food"; as an ingredient it can be used in curry, fried rice and more, and it is also one of the medicinal herbs in traditional Chinese medicine prescriptions. However, there are many varieties of turmeric; besides yellow, there are also red-orange and purple colors, and turmeric grown in different seasons has different benefits. Let us get to know the members of the turmeric family together.

Turmeric originated in India and took root in Taiwan for more than two hundred years

Curry's essential element "turmeric" has become a hot online keyword in recent years. After the outbreak of Wuhan pneumonia, Google searches for "turmeric" and "curcumin" more than doubled, and more than 36,000 related papers have accumulated worldwide so far, clearly showing that turmeric's health benefits are drawing attention.

Turmeric is a relative of ginger, belonging to the same Zingiberaceae family. Turmeric belongs to the genus Curcuma within Zingiberaceae, and the genus Curcuma contains 134 species of turmeric, used respectively for food, medicine, spice, dye or ornamental purposes. Turmeric is native to southeastern India and is a perennial herbaceous plant that thrives in places with ample sunlight and rainfall and a hot, humid climate. At present, the main producing areas worldwide are India and Southeast Asian countries, and among them India ranks first globally in total output and export volume.

To date, turmeric has been recorded in use for over a thousand years. In traditional Chinese medicine, Taiwan has been cultivating turmeric for more than two hundred years, traceable at the earliest to the Japanese occupation period, when Japan, unable to procure Indian turmeric during World War II, introduced turmeric to Taiwan for cultivation and supply.

Papers say curcumin has anti-cancer effects; Indonesian research can inhibit viral activity

The curcumin, turmerone, essential oils and minerals contained in turmeric have been confirmed in many foreign papers to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health benefits. Taiwan has more than two hundred papers on turmeric, of which 69 discuss curcumin's anti-cancer effects; curcumin can induce autophagy and apoptosis in cancer cells and inhibit cancer cell formation.

Dr. Hsieh Jui-yu, an adjunct assistant professor at China Medical University who has studied turmeric for more than ten years in Taiwan, said that recent research from Indonesian medical schools (Khaerunnisa et al., 2020; Utomo et al., 2020) found that curcumin has significant inhibitory activity against the Wuhan pneumonia virus, making turmeric a hot topic during epidemic prevention.

Turmeric in traditional Chinese medicine: activating blood and resolving stasis, moving qi and unblocking meridians, and relieving pain

Huang Tse-hung, chairman of the National Federation of Chinese Medicine Practitioners Associations of the Republic of China, explained that the ancients used turmeric to improve blood circulation, and that turmeric has the functions of activating blood, resolving stasis, moving qi, unblocking meridians and relieving pain for the body, among which the most commonly heard "activating blood" refers to the function of helping dilate blood vessels.

Huang Tse-hung said that the global use of turmeric is now quite widespread, and its traces can be seen from foods such as curry and fried rice to both Chinese and Western medicine. "I myself often prescribe turmeric formulas for patients to take, and many related papers worldwide have confirmed that turmeric has anti-inflammatory functions."

Huang Tse-hung explained that there are currently two common ways to use turmeric in traditional Chinese medicine, namely traditional decoction and scientific Chinese medicine. Scientific Chinese medicine is measured in grams, and when using it one must pay attention to the dosage and the patient's physical condition. "Some stroke patients take anticoagulants, and then eating (turmeric) may carry the risk of excessive blood activation and bleeding." He added that for normal people eating it is not a big problem, unless one eats more than a jin of turmeric powder a day.

Turmeric is also known as "yujin", and autumn turmeric contains the highest curcumin

Turmeric is called yujin in Japan. Dr. Hsieh Jui-yu, an adjunct assistant professor at China Medical University who has studied turmeric for more than ten years in Taiwan, said that turmeric can be divided by its flowering season into spring turmeric (spring yujin), autumn turmeric (autumn yujin) and purple turmeric (purple yujin). Spring turmeric blooms in spring, autumn turmeric blooms in autumn, and purple turmeric also blooms in spring, but because its rhizome is light purple it is called purple turmeric.

Wu Yung-pei, an associate researcher at the Chiayi Branch of the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute who has studied turmeric for more than 8 years, said that generally every 100g of turmeric contains about 0.5g of curcumin (0.5%), but different species of turmeric differ in appearance, color and curcumin content. "The curcumin content of autumn turmeric is higher than that of spring turmeric."

Research analysis shows that comparing the curcumin contained in common turmeric, autumn turmeric has a higher curcumin content, with about 150-5800mg of curcumin per 100g (0.15-5.8%); next is spring turmeric, with about 62mg of curcumin per 100g (less than 0.1%); and last is purple turmeric, with about 10mg of curcumin per 100g (less than 0.1%).

Spring turmeric, purple turmeric and medicinal turmeric, which are lower in curcumin, also have health benefits

Besides the common turmerics mentioned above, red turmeric, aromatic turmeric and golden turmeric can also be seen in Taiwan recently. Hsieh Jui-yu explained that according to research data, red turmeric is a type of autumn turmeric and belongs to Indian turmeric; the difference is that its curcumin content is higher than 4.5% and the cut surface of its rhizome is darker in color, appearing orange-red, so it is called red turmeric.

Aromatic turmeric is called medicinal turmeric in Indonesia. According to the European Pharmacopoeia and international journal data, aromatic turmeric is also called Javanese turmeric, and its growing period is relatively close to that of spring turmeric, with an internal curcumin content of about 1-1.5%; golden turmeric, also called Okinawa golden turmeric, is currently quite popular in Japan, but its curcumin content is only 0.3%.

Turmeric's health benefits do not lie only in the level of curcumin content. Hsieh Jui-yu pointed out that spring turmeric, purple turmeric and medicinal turmeric, which are lower in curcumin, possess curzerenone, curcumol and others that autumn turmeric does not have. International medical research shows that these also have functions such as promoting metabolism, anti-inflammation, protecting the liver and improving the spleen and stomach, and likewise have health benefits.