BACKGROUND Curcuma has long been used as an anti-inflammatory agent in inflammatory bowel disease. Since gastrointestinal motility is impaired in inflammatory states, the aim of this work was to evaluate if Curcuma Longa had any effect on intestinal motility. METHODS The biological activity of Curcuma extract was evaluated against Carbachol induced contraction in isolated mice intestine. Acut...

BACKGROUND Previous animal studies have shown that Curcuma (C.) longa lowers plasma glucose. C. longa may thus be a promising ingredient in functional foods aimed at preventing type 2 diabetes. The purpose of the study is to study the effect of C. longa on postprandial plasma glucose, insulin levels and glycemic index (GI) in healthy subjects. METHODS Fourteen healthy subjects were assessed i...

Three Curcuma species, Curcuma aeruginosa (pink and blue ginger), Cu. aromatica (aromatic turmeric), and Cu. xanthorrhiza (giant curcuma), were selected for investigation of mosquito repellent activity. In a laboratory study, a 95% ethanol extract of each plant was tested for repellent activity of Aedes togoi on human volunteers. Only Cu. aromatica extract showed repellency against Ae. togoi wi...

Pulverized rhizome of Curcuma longa on hydrodistilation, afforded oil in the yield of 1.24% v/w. The oil was investigated by GC and GC/MS. Hydrocarbon monoterpenes (46.9%) constituted bulk of the oil. The major constituents of the oil were, $-bisabolene (13.9%), trans-ocimene (9.8%), myrcene (7.6%), 1,8-cineole (6.9%), "-thujene (6.7%) and thymol (6.4%). Key word: Index: curcuma longa % Zingibe...

Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is widely utilized as a spice, food colorant, and preservative in India, China, South-East Asia. With containing potential turmeric extracts compounds, it has been traditional medicine for various diseases counting diabetes, hepatitis, hemorrhoids, hysteria, indigestion, skin disease, inflammation, anorexia, hepatic disorders, cough, sinusitis, etc. So far, large num...

Curcumin, a derivative of the plant Curcuma longa, is used extensively in the food industry. It is a major component of curry powder, and research has shown that curcumin may prevent cancer and other chronic diseases. We have developed a robust automated analytical method for the determination of curcumin in plasma and urine. The method involves extracting the curcumin from 0.2 ml sample volume...

Infectious diseases, particularly skin and mucosal infections, are common in most of the tribal inhabitants due to lack of sanitation, potable water and awareness of hygienic food habits. Skin diseases like wounds, furuncles, sepsis, atopic dermatitis, cellulitis, gas gangrene, acne, candidiasis can be caused by a variety of the microbes. Plants produce a diverse range of bioactive molecules, m...