This powder is extracted by crystallizing turmeric oleoresin that is prepared by the alcohol extraction of turmeric. Curcumin is the active ingredient present in the turmeric and is yellow-orange in color with a spicy taste and aroma. Turmeric consists of both dried and fresh rhizomes of a plant known as curcuma longa and has been used in the Indian traditional system of medicine as a spice and a natural food color. It is known to have anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-allergic, anti-bacterial and anti-tumor activity.

Turmeric(Curcuma longa)was probably cultivated at first as a dye, and then became valued as a condiment as well as for cosmetic purposes. It is often used in cooking as a substitute for the more costly saffron. In the 13th century Marco Polo wrote of this spice, marvelling at a vegetable which exhibited qualities so similar to saffron. Familiar to the contemporary world as a prime component of curry powder, the orange-yellow rhizome's striking colour lent it a special aura in ancient India. It has always been considered an auspicious material in the sub-continent, both amongst the Aryan cultures (mostly northern) and the Dravidian cultures (mostly southern) and its value may extend far in history to the beliefs of ancient indigenous peoples. Turmeric's common name in the north, haldi, derives from the Sanskrit haridra, and in the south it is called manjal, a word that is frequently used in ancient Tamil literature. Turmeric has a long history of medicinal use in South Asia, cited in Sanskrit medical treatises and widely used in Ayurvedic and Unani systems. Susruta's Ayurvedic Compendium, dating to 250 BC, recommends an ointment containing turmeric to relieve the effects of poisoned food.