Turmeric, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It is the dried rhizome of Curcuma longa L., a plant belonging to the genus Curcuma in the Zingiberaceae family. It has the effects of promoting blood circulation, regulating qi, unblocking meridians, and relieving pain. It is primarily used to treat stabbing pain in the chest and flanks, chest pain due to chest obstruction, dysmenorrhea and amenorrhea, masses and tumors, rheumatic pain in the shoulders and arms, and swelling and pain from falls or blows.
Turmeric
Turmeric, a name in traditional Chinese medicine. It is the dried rhizome of Curcuma longa L., a plant belonging to the genus Curcuma in the Zingiberaceae family. It has the effects of promoting blood circulation, regulating qi, unblocking meridians, and relieving pain. It is primarily used to treat stabbing pain in the chest and flanks, chest pain due to chest obstruction, dysmenorrhea and amenorrhea, masses and tumors, rheumatic pain in the shoulders and arms, and swelling and pain from falls or blows.
Chinese Name : 姜黄
Latin Name : Curcumae Longae Rhizoma
Aliases : Baodingxiang, Huangjiang
Authentic Producing Area : Sichuan
Nature, Flavor & Meridian Tropism : Pungent and bitter in taste; warm in nature; enters the Spleen and Liver meridians
Benefits & Efficacy
Benefits
Dispels blood stasis, regulates qi, unblocks the meridians, and relieves pain.
Indications
Stabbing pain in the chest and flanks; chest bi syndrome with chest pain; dysmenorrhea and amenorrhea; masses and masses; rheumatic pain in the shoulders and arms; swelling and pain from falls or blows.
Usage and Dosage
1. Internal use: Decocted, 3–10 g. 2. External use: As needed.
Precautions
1. Turmeric is pungent, bitter, and warm in nature; it may deplete blood and yin. Use with caution in patients with yin deficiency or blood deficiency. 2. Turmeric has a strong effect in activating blood circulation and dispersing blood stasis; it stimulates the uterus and promotes uterine contractions. It is contraindicated in cases of menorrhagia and during pregnancy.
Chemical Constituents
It primarily contains phenolic compounds (curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, etc.) and essential oils (eucalyptol, linalool, α-pinene, curcumene, borneol, isoborneol, pinitol, etc.).
Pharmacological Actions
Turmeric possesses pharmacological effects such as anti-myocardial ischemia, lipid regulation, antitumor activity, anti-pulmonary fibrosis, protection against tissue damage, and immune modulation.
Relevant Discussions
1. *The Newly Revised Materia Medica*: “It treats abdominal masses and stagnation, relieves distension, descends qi, breaks up blood stasis, dispels wind-heat, and reduces abscesses and swellings; its efficacy is more potent than that of curcuma.”
2. *Compendium of Materia Medica*: “Treats wind-induced arthralgia and arm pain.” “Turmeric, curcuma, and curcuma zedoaria—these three substances are similar in appearance and function. However, curcuma enters the Heart to treat blood disorders, while turmeric also enters the Spleen to treat Qi; curcuma zedoaria enters the Liver to treat both Qi and blood—this is the difference.”
Applications
Clinical Applications
1. To treat chest and heart pain caused by deficient chest yang and obstruction of the heart meridian, it can be combined with herbs such as Angelica sinensis, Aquilaria agallocha, and Lindera aggregata, as in the Turmeric Powder (Shengji Zonglu).
2. To treat chest and flank pain caused by qi stagnation and cold condensation in the liver and stomach, it can be combined with Fructus Aurantii, Cinnamomi Cortex, and Fried Glycyrrhiza, as in the Qi-Promoting Powder (Danxi Xinfang).
3. To treat dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, and postpartum abdominal pain caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis, it is often used in combination with Danggui, Chuanxiong, and Honghua, as in the Turmeric Powder (from *Shengji Zonglu*).
4. To treat trauma-induced injuries, bruising, swelling, and pain, it can be combined with Sumu, Ru Xiang, and Mo Yao, as in the Turmeric Decoction (from *Shangke Fangshu*).
Related Compatibility
1. Turmeric Combined with Cinnamon Twig: Turmeric excels at promoting blood circulation, regulating qi, unblocking meridians, and relieving pain; Cinnamon Twig excels at warming and unblocking meridians, dispelling cold, and relieving pain. When used together, these two herbs work synergistically to warm the meridians, dispel cold, promote blood circulation, unblock meridians, and relieve pain. This combination is suitable for dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, postpartum abdominal pain, and wind-cold-damp bi syndrome caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis.
2. Turmeric Combined with Notopterygium: Turmeric can dispel wind-cold externally and regulate qi and blood internally; it excels at promoting circulation in the limbs and relieving arthralgia. Notopterygium can dispel wind and cold, overcome dampness, and relieve pain. When used together, the effects of dispelling wind and cold, overcoming dampness, and relieving pain are enhanced. This combination is suitable for conditions caused by wind, cold, and dampness pathogens lingering in the skin and muscles, manifesting as numbness and loss of sensation, as well as weakness and flaccidity in the hands and feet.
3. Turmeric Combined with Cinnamon Bark: Turmeric is pungent, dispersing, and warming; it excels at penetrating and circulating, promoting blood circulation and the flow of qi, unblocking meridians, and relieving pain. Cinnamon bark is pungent, sweet, and extremely hot; it excels at warming and dispersing, tonifying fire and assisting yang, dispelling cold, and relieving pain. When used together, these two herbs enhance the effects of regulating qi, promoting blood circulation, dispelling cold, and relieving pain. This combination is suitable for conditions such as epigastric pain, cold pain in the lower abdomen, and dysmenorrhea caused by cold stagnation and blood stasis.
4. Turmeric Combined with Zhi Ke: Turmeric promotes blood circulation, regulates qi, unblocks meridians, and relieves pain; it is a commonly used herb for pain caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis. Zhi Ke regulates qi, opens the chest, relieves epigastric fullness, and eliminates distension. When used together, these two herbs treat both qi and blood simultaneously, effectively regulating qi, promoting blood circulation, and relieving pain. This combination is suitable for chest tightness, pain in the flanks, poor appetite, and abdominal distension caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis.
Medicinal Identification
1. Turmeric and Curcuma: Turmeric and Curcuma are different medicinal parts of the same plant; both possess the functions of promoting blood circulation, dispersing blood stasis, regulating qi, and relieving pain. Both can be used to treat chest and flank pain, amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, and abdominal pain due to qi stagnation and blood stasis.However, turmeric uses the rhizome, which is pungent and warm in nature and has dispersing properties; it is highly effective at removing blood stasis and is best suited for treating conditions involving cold stagnation, qi stagnation, and blood stasis. Curcuma uses the tuber, which is bitter and cold in nature and has descending and draining properties; it is highly effective at regulating qi and can also cool the blood, making it best suited for treating blood stasis and qi stagnation accompanied by heat.
2. Turmeric and Agarwood: Both herbs have a pungent, warm nature and possess the functions of invigorating blood, removing blood stasis, regulating qi, and relieving pain. They can both be used to treat chest, flank, epigastric, and abdominal pain caused by qi stagnation and blood stasis, as well as amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, irregular menstruation, masses and accumulations, and trauma-induced injuries.However, turmeric also dispels wind-cold externally; it excels at promoting circulation in the limbs and arms to invigorate blood, relieve arthralgia, and alleviate pain, and can also be used to treat wind-cold-damp arthralgia and pain in the shoulders and arms. Aquilaria can also resolve blood stasis and stop bleeding, and is used to treat bleeding caused by blood stasis.
Related Medicines
Lidan Zhitong Tablets.
Related Prescriptions
Wubi Decoction (*Heji Jufang*), Ginger and Cinnamon Powder (*Shengji Zonglu*), Turmeric Powder (*Shengji Zonglu*).
Medicinal Diet Therapy
Turmeric, Papaya, and Soybean Sprout Decoction:
1. Effects: Dispels blood stasis and regulates qi; clears heat and transforms dampness; relieves arthralgia and alleviates pain. Primarily treats rheumatic pain characterized by burning sensations in the joints, redness and swelling of the skin, localized swelling and deformity, and restricted joint movement.
2. Ingredients: 10 grams of turmeric, 10 grams of papaya, 250 grams of soybean sprouts, an appropriate amount of lard, and 5 grams of salt.
3. Preparation: Wash the turmeric and papaya and set aside. Prepare a clay pot; wash it thoroughly, then place the prepared turmeric and papaya inside. Simmer to extract the liquid, then strain out the solids. Add the soybean sprouts and lard to the broth and simmer until cooked. Add salt after the soup is ready.
4. Usage: Serve as an accompaniment to meals.
Notes
Patients requiring treatment with Chinese herbal medicine should first consult a licensed Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) hospital to receive a prescription following a professional TCM differential diagnosis.
Processing & Preparation
Harvesting & Processing
Harvest when the stems and leaves wither in winter; wash thoroughly; boil or steam until thoroughly cooked; sun-dry; and remove the fibrous roots. Cut into thick slices and use raw.
Processing Methods
Take the raw herb, remove impurities, soak briefly, wash thoroughly, moisten thoroughly, cut into thick slices, and dry.
Storage Methods
Store in a dry container in a cool, dry place to prevent insect infestation.
Crude Drug Identification
Identification
1. Cross-section of this product: Epidermal cells are flat with thin walls. The cortex is broad and contains vascular bundles with leaf scars; on the outer side near the epidermis, there are 6–8 rows of flat suberized cells; the endodermis cells have distinct Casparian strips. The pericycle consists of 1–2 rows of parenchyma cells; the vascular bundles are exarch and scattered, being more numerous near the pericycle and gradually decreasing inward.The parenchyma cells contain oil droplets, starch grains, and reddish-brown pigments.
2. Take 0.2 g of the powdered sample, add 20 mL of anhydrous ethanol, shake, let stand for 30 minutes, filter, and evaporate the filtrate to dryness. Dissolve the residue in 2 mL of anhydrous ethanol to prepare the test solution.Separately, take 0.2 g of turmeric reference material and prepare a reference material solution using the same method. Next, take a curcumin reference standard and dissolve it in anhydrous ethanol to prepare a solution containing 0.5 mg per mL, which serves as the reference standard solution.Test by thin-layer chromatography (General Chapter 0502): Pipette 4 μL of each of the three solutions mentioned above and apply them separately onto the same silica gel G plate. Develop with a mobile phase of chloroform–methanol–formic acid (96:4:0.7), remove the plate, allow it to air-dry, and examine the plates under natural light and under ultraviolet light (365 nm), respectively.In the chromatogram of the test sample, spots of the same color or fluorescent spots appear at positions corresponding to those in the reference herbal material chromatogram and the reference standard chromatogram, respectively.
Properties of Crude Drugs
The rhizome of turmeric is irregularly oval, cylindrical, or spindle-shaped, often curved; the surface is deep yellow, rough, with shriveled texture and distinct nodes, as well as circular branch scars and fibrous root scars. It is firm and difficult to break; the cross-section is brownish-yellow to golden yellow, horny in appearance, with a waxy luster.The endodermis ring is distinct, and the vascular bundles are scattered in a punctate pattern. It has a characteristic aromatic odor and a bitter, pungent taste.
Properties of Processed Slices
Thin or thick, nearly circular slices with a brownish-yellow or golden-yellow surface that is horny in texture and has a waxy luster; the endodermis ring is distinct, and vascular bundles are scattered in a punctate pattern. The periphery is grayish-yellow or deep yellow, rough, and has longitudinal wrinkles. The texture is hard; it has a distinctive odor and a bitter, pungent taste. When chewed, it stains saliva yellow.
Botanical Information
Botanical Classification
Curcuma, a plant of the genus Curcuma in the family Zingiberaceae.
Morphological Characteristics
A perennial herb, 1–1.5 m tall. The rhizome is well-developed, growing in clumps; branches are elliptical or cylindrical, orange-yellow, and highly fragrant; roots are stout, with the tips swelling into tuberous roots. Leaves are basal, 5–7 in number, arranged in two rows; petioles are 20–45 cm long;leaf blades are oblong or narrowly elliptical, 20–50 cm long and 5–15 cm wide, with an acuminate apex and a cuneate base extending down the petiole; the upper surface is yellowish-green, the lower surface is pale green, and both are glabrous. The flower stalk emerges from the leaf sheaths; the inflorescence stalk is 12–20 cm long, and the spike-like inflorescence is cylindrical, 12–18 cm long;The upper, flowerless bracts are pink or pale reddish-purple, oblong, 4–6 cm long, and 1–1.5 cm wide; the middle and lower, flowered bracts are pale green or greenish-white, ovate to nearly round, 3–4 cm long; the calyx tube is greenish-white, with 3 teeth;The corolla tube is funnel-shaped, approximately 1.5 cm long, pale yellow, densely pubescent at the throat, with 3 lobes; there is one fertile stamen with a short, flattened filament and an oblong anther bearing a spur at the base; the ovary is inferior and externally pubescent; the style is slender and elongated, with two club-shaped glands at the base, and the stigma is slightly swollen and somewhat bilabiate. Flowering occurs in August.
Distribution Area
Distributed in Fujian, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Yunnan, Taiwan, and other regions.
Growth Habits
It prefers a warm and humid climate with ample sunlight and abundant rainfall; it is sensitive to severe cold, frost, drought, and waterlogging. It is best cultivated in sandy loam with a deep soil profile—loose in the upper layer and relatively compact in the lower layer. It does not tolerate continuous cropping and is often intercropped with tall-stemmed crops.
Propagation Methods
Propagated by rhizomes.
Cultivation Techniques
1. Rhizome Propagation: At harvest, select rhizomes free of pests, diseases, and damage for use as planting stock.Store the seed rhizomes in a dry, well-ventilated indoor area over the winter, then retrieve them for spring planting. Before planting, cut large rhizomes lengthwise into two halves or smaller pieces, ensuring each piece has at least two buds. To prevent the seed rhizomes from rotting, allow the cut surfaces to air-dry slightly before planting; alternatively, coat the cut surfaces with lime or wood ash as you cut them and plant immediately.Plant in raised beds with row spacing of 33–40 cm and hole spacing of 27–33 cm. Plant 3–5 rhizomes per hole with the buds facing upward, cover with soil, and lightly firm the soil. The seed rate is 2,250–3,000 kg per hectare.
2. Field Management: After seedlings emerge uniformly, promptly perform weeding and cultivation. This should be done 3–4 times per year, combined with top-dressing using fertilizers such as human urine or ammonium sulfate.Apply a heavy dose of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers in September to promote tuber growth. During dry periods, especially when tubers are forming and enlarging, ensure adequate irrigation. If waterlogging occurs, drain the area promptly to prevent root rot.
Pest and Disease Control
1. Diseases include black spot disease, which affects the leaves. At the first sign of infection, promptly remove diseased leaves and spray with a 400–800-fold dilution of 50% Topsin or 65% zinc mancozeb wettable powder.
2. Pests include cutworms and wireworms, which feed on fibrous roots during the seedling stage, preventing tuber formation; these can be controlled by manual removal or baited traps. Other pests include the ginger white butterfly and the corn borer.