The efficacy and function of turmeric

Turmeric is a traditional Chinese medicine. Do you know its medicinal value? How does Chinese medicine use turmeric to treat diseases? And what should you pay attention to when using turmeric to treat diseases in daily life? Don't worry, we will answer them one by one for you.

【Other Names】 Yellow ginger, tiger ginger, monkey lotus

[Source] Medicinal material source: The rhizome of Dioscorea opposita, a plant of the Dioscoreaceae family.

[Original form] Yellow yam is a twining herbaceous vine. The rhizome is horizontal, cylindrical, irregularly branched, and has sparse fibrous roots on the surface. The stem is left-handed, smooth and hairless, straw yellow, sometimes with purple. Simple leaves are alternate; the leaves are triangular-cordate, gradually pointed at the apex, deeply cordate or broadly cordate at the base, entire or with wavy edges, chestnut brown or black on the surface after drying, whitish on the back, and nearly glabrous on both sides. Flowers are dioecious. The male flowers are sessile, yellow-green when fresh, solitary or in clusters of 2-3 flowers forming spikes, the inflorescences are branched and present panicles, solitary or in clusters of 2-3 flowers in the leaf axils; the bracts are boat-shaped, and the bracteoles are the same shape as the bracts but smaller; the perianth is saucer-shaped, with 6 lobes at the apex, the lobes are oval, with yellow-brown spots inside, and flat when open; there are 6 stamens, inserted at the base of the perianth tube, and the anthers are dorsifixed. The female inflorescence is basically similar to the male inflorescence; the female perianth is 6-lobed and has 6 reduced stamens. The capsule is triangular, truncated or slightly concave at the apex, narrowly rounded at the base, each rib is wing-shaped and semi-lunar, the surface is brown or chestnut brown, shiny, and densely covered with purple-brown spots. When ripe, the fruit bends retroflexively and droops; there are usually 2 seeds in each chamber, attached to the middle of the central axis. The flowering period is from May to July, and the fruiting period is from July to September.

[Habitat distribution] Ecological environment: Growing under shrub forests on hillsides at an altitude of 1000-3500m, or only found at the edge of dense forests or on hillside roadsides.

[Properties] Property identification: The rhizome is cylindrical, some are slightly curved, and the diameter is 2-3cm. The surface is yellow-brown with longitudinal wrinkles and roots or root marks, which are dark brown. It is hard and tough, and when broken, the cross section appears white and fluffy with many yellow dot-like vascular bundles scattered around. Slight odor, slightly sweet taste.

[Chemical composition] The root tuber contains diosgenin, yamogenin, dioscin and gracillin.

【Nature and flavor】 Slightly pungent; Slightly pungent; Flat

【Functions and indications】 Regulating qi and relieving pain; detoxifying and reducing swelling. Mainly used for stomach pain; vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain; injuries from falls and strains; sores, swellings, poisonous snake bites

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoction, 15-30g. For external use: appropriate amount, squeeze out the juice from fresh product; or mash it for application.

【Excerpt】 Chinese Materia Medica

The above content is an introduction to the effects and functions of the traditional Chinese medicine turmeric. I hope it can be of some help to you. The culture of traditional Chinese medicine is profound and extensive. When treating diseases, we need to choose different medicines according to the different diseases to better help the body relieve troubles.