Turmeric Oil is much popular for its medicinal as well as coloring and flavoring properties. It is extracted from the turmeric plant which is widely cultivated because of its utility as a yellow-orange culinary spice. Curcuma longa, a medicinal tuber plant belonging to this family, is a close relative of Curcuma zedoaria from which the curcumin is isolated. Various parts of Curcuma are used in Ayurveda and other folk and tribal system of medicines. The rhizome is used for curing stomach diseases, toothache, blood stagnation, leucoderma, tuberculosis, enlargement of spleen, and for promoting menstruation in traditional medicine in Asia. Anti-inflammatory activity, antifungal activity, antiulcer activity, antimicrobial effect, hepatoprotective activity, antiamoebic effect, of this plant rhizome have been reported.

A member of the Ginger family, Turmeric is a well familiar spice of Asian cuisine. It is best known for its bright yellow colour, which gives curry powder its characteristic appearance. Turmeric has a long history of use, not just as a spice, but also as a healing agent and as a magical herb. When Europeans were first introduced to it they often falsely identified it as Saffron. However, while it serves perfectly as a dye for all sorts of substances, its properties and flavour do no not compare to those of Saffron. In India Turmeric is indeed widely used as dye, not just for ritual foods to be offered to the Gods, but also for textiles (Buddhist robes are traditionally dyed with Turmeric). Carbonate of soda helps to fix the dye, though it is not very permanent. Occasionally it is also used cosmetically as make-up at weddings and other festive events. The food industry employs it as a colorant for cheeses, sausage and confectionary. The use of turmeric dates back nearly 4000 years to the Vedic culture in India, where it was used as a culinary spice and had some religious significance. It probably reached China by 700 AD, East Africa by 800 AD, West Africa by 1200 AD, and Jamaica in the eighteenth century. In 1280, Marco Polo described this spice, marveling at a vegetable that exhibited qualities so similar to that of saffron. According to Sanskrit medical treatises and Ayurvedic and Unani systems, turmeric has a long history of medicinal use in South Asia. Susruta’s Ayurvedic Compendium, dating back to 250 BC, recommends an ointment containing turmeric to relieve the effects of poisoned food.