- Zedoary
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Zedoary Scientific classification Kingdom: Plantae (unranked): Angiosperms (unranked): Monocots (unranked): Commelinids Order: Zingiberales Family: Zingiberaceae Genus: Curcuma Species: C. zedoaria Binomial name Curcuma zedoaria
(Christm.) RoscoeZedoary (Curcuma zedoaria, known as కచొరము kacōramu in Telugu) is the name for a perennial herb and member of the genus Curcuma Linn., family Zingiberaceae. The plant is native to India and Indonesia. It was introduced to Europe by Arabs around the sixth century, but its use as a spice in the West today is extremely rare, having been replaced by ginger.
Contents
Characteristics
Zedoary is a rhizome that grows in tropical and subtropical wet forest regions. The fragrant plant bears yellow flowers with red and green bracts and the underground stem section is large and tuberous with numerous branches. The leaf shoots of the zedoary are long and can reach 1 metre (3 feet) in height.
Uses
Food
The edible root of zedoary has a white interior and a fragrance reminiscent of mango; however, its flavour is more similar to ginger, except with a very bitter aftertaste. In Indonesia, it is ground to a powder and added to curry pastes, whereas in India, it tends to be used fresh or in pickling. In Thai cuisine it is used raw and cut in thin strips in certain Thai salads. It can also be served cut in to thin slices together with other herbs and vegetables with certain types of nam phrik (Thai chilli pastes).
Medicinal uses
Zedoary is also used in some traditional eastern medicines, where it is reputed to be an aid to digestion, a relief for colic and an agent for purifying the blood. It is also used as an antivenom for the Indian cobra.[1] Zedoary has been used to treat coronary heart disease, liver cancer, anemia, chronic pelvic inflammation and helps prevent leukopenia due to cancer therapies.[2] Zedoarin, kurdiona and kurkumol are substances that can be found in Zedoary. These substances turned out to be anti-neoplastic which can break ribosome formation in cancer cells and wild tissue by enhancing the formation of fibroblast tissue around the cancer tissue, and forming a layer of lymphocytes in the cells of cancer tissue and wrap it, so the tissue cells of the cancer can not grow, eventually the cancer cells will die, and no longer dangerous.[3]
Others
The essential oil produced from the dried roots of Curcuma zedoaria is used in perfumery and soap fabrication, as well as an ingredient in bitter tonics.
International naming
- In Tamil, zedoary that is called karppurakkiccilikkilangku (Tamil: கர்ப்பூரக்குச்சிக்கிழங்கு).
- In Oriya, C. zedoaria is called Palua
- In Manipuri, C. zedoaria is called meitei yaingang.
- In Bengali, it is called aam aadaa (mango ginger)
- In Assamese, it is called katuri.
- In Indonesian, it is called Kunir Putih or Temu Putih .[4]
- In Vietnam, it is called nghệ đen.
- In Thailand, it is called khamin khao.
External links
Media related to Curcuma zedoaria at Wikimedia Commons
- Ars-Grin.gov, Curcuma zedoaria information from NPGS/GRIN
- CatalogueOfLife.org, Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist : Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe
- Iptek.net.id, Situs ipteknet (Indonesian)
- NIH.go.jp, On curcuma zedoaria (Japanese: ウコンについて) (Japanese)
References
- ^ Daduang; Sattayasai, N.; Sattayasai, J.; Tophrom, P.; Thammathaworn, A.; Chaveerach, A.; Konkchaiyaphum, M. (2005). "Screening of plants containing Naja naja siamensis cobra venom inhibitory activity using modified ELISA technique". Analytical biochemistry 341 (2): 316–325. doi:10.1016/j.ab.2005.03.037. PMID 15907878.
- ^ Dharmananda, Subhuti. "TURMERIC:WHAT’S IN AN HERB NAME? HOW TURMERIC (JIANGHUANG) AND CURCUMA (YUJIN) BECAME CONFUSED". http://www.itmonline.org/arts/turmeri3.htm. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
- ^ "White Turmeric (Curcuma Zedoaria) for Cancer Treatment". http://www.mafth.com/2010/01/white-turmeric-curcuma-zedoaria-for-cancer-treatment/. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
- ^ http://cintaherbal.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/khasiat-kunir-putih-curcuma-zedoaria-basmi-kanker/
Categories:- Zingiberaceae
- Flora of Asia
- Medicinal plants
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