Herbal drugs derived from rhizomes of Curcuma plants

cluding Curcuma longa, C. zedoaria, etc. have attracted attention because of their antiinflammatory, antihepatotoxic, and neuroprotective activity. These drugs were originally used in traditional Asian medicines, and in Chinese medicine they are mainly used for treating various syndromes due to obstruction of blood circulation and retention of blood stasis such as arthralgia, psychataxia, and dysmenorrhea. In China and Japan, more than 10 Curcuma species are distributed or cultivated, and the underground parts of six species have been used medicinally. In the Chinese herbal literature, each Curcuma drug is prescribed for a specific ailment, although at present their clinical application is complicated because of the morphological similarity of the drugs as well as the plants. To develop the ultimate identification of Curcuma plants, we previously carried out molecular analysis of six Curcuma species based on 18S ribosomal RNA gene and trnK gene sequences. As a result, two types of 18S rRNA gene sequences and five types of trnK gene sequences were demonstrated, and the identical sequence was observed between C. phaeocaulis and the Chinese population of C. zedoaria, and the Japanese population of C. zedoaria and C. kwangsiensis with a purple-colored band in the leaf blades (purple-cloud type), respectively. We report here the sequence analysis of Curcuma drugs available in Chinese and Japanese markets in both gene regions to identify their botanical origins. Moreover, to develop a more convenient method for identification of Curcuma plants and drugs, amplification-refractory mutation system (ARMS) analysis of both gene regions was investigated using species-specific primers designed by nucleotide differences among Curcuma species. Since five new species have been recently recorded in Chinese botanical papers based on minute morphological differences from existing species, their relationship with other species was investigated at the molecular taxonomic to adjust the genus Curcuma in China.