Zedoary
Encyclopedia
Zedoary is the name for a perennial herb
and member of the genus Curcuma Linn.
, family Zingiberaceae
. The plant
is native to India
and Indonesia
. It was introduced to Europe
by Arab
s around the sixth century, but its use as a spice
in the West
today is extremely rare, having been replaced by ginger
.
that grows in tropical
and subtropical
wet forest regions. The fragrant plant bears yellow flowers with red and green bract
s and the underground stem section is large and tuberous with numerous branches. The leaf shoots of the zedoary are long and can reach 1 metre (3 feet) in height.
of zedoary has a white interior and a fragrance reminiscent of mango; however, its flavour is more similar to ginger
, except with a very bitter aftertaste. In Indonesia, it is ground to a powder and added to curry
pastes, whereas in India, it tends to be used fresh or in pickling
. In Thai cuisine it is used raw and cut in thin strips in certain Thai salads. It can also be served cut in to thin slices together with other herbs and vegetables with certain types of nam phrik
(Thai chilli pastes).
, where it is reputed to be an aid to digestion, a relief for colic
and an agent for purifying the blood
. It is also used as an antivenom for the Indian cobra
. Zedoary has been used to treat coronary heart disease
, liver cancer
, anemia
, chronic pelvic inflammation
and helps prevent leukopenia
due to cancer therapies. Zedoarin, kurdiona and kurkumol are substances that can be found in Zedoary. These substances turned out to be anti-neoplastic which can break ribosome
formation in cancer cells and wild tissue by enhancing the formation of fibroblast
tissue around the cancer tissue, and forming a layer of lymphocytes in the cells of cancer tissue and wrap it, so the tissue cells of the cancer can not grow, eventually the cancer cells will die, and no longer dangerous.
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
and member of the genus Curcuma Linn.
Curcuma
Curcuma is a genus of about 80 accepted species in the plant family Zingiberaceae that contains such species as turmeric and Siam Tulip. The name comes from Arabic kurkum meaning "turmeric". Since assembly of the genus Curcuma by Linnaeus in 1753 about 130 species have been described so far...
, family Zingiberaceae
Zingiberaceae
Zingiberaceae, or the Ginger family, is a family of flowering plants consisting of aromatic perennial herbs with creeping horizontal or tuberous rhizomes, comprising ca. 52 genera and more than 1300 species, distributed throughout tropical Africa, Asia, and the Americas.Many species are important...
. The plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
is native to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It was introduced to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
s around the sixth century, but its use as a spice
Spice
A spice is a dried seed, fruit, root, bark, or vegetative substance used in nutritionally insignificant quantities as a food additive for flavor, color, or as a preservative that kills harmful bacteria or prevents their growth. It may be used to flavour a dish or to hide other flavours...
in the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
today is extremely rare, having been replaced by ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
.
Characteristics
Zedoary is a rhizomeRhizome
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome is a characteristically horizontal stem of a plant that is usually found underground, often sending out roots and shoots from its nodes...
that grows in tropical
Tropics
The tropics is a region of the Earth surrounding the Equator. It is limited in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the northern hemisphere at approximately N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere at S; these latitudes correspond to the axial tilt of the Earth...
and subtropical
Subtropics
The subtropics are the geographical and climatical zone of the Earth immediately north and south of the tropical zone, which is bounded by the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, at latitudes 23.5°N and 23.5°S...
wet forest regions. The fragrant plant bears yellow flowers with red and green bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
s and the underground stem section is large and tuberous with numerous branches. The leaf shoots of the zedoary are long and can reach 1 metre (3 feet) in height.
Food
The edible rootRoot
In vascular plants, the root is the organ of a plant that typically lies below the surface of the soil. This is not always the case, however, since a root can also be aerial or aerating . Furthermore, a stem normally occurring below ground is not exceptional either...
of zedoary has a white interior and a fragrance reminiscent of mango; however, its flavour is more similar to ginger
Ginger
Ginger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
, except with a very bitter aftertaste. In Indonesia, it is ground to a powder and added to curry
Curry
Curry is a generic description used throughout Western culture to describe a variety of dishes from Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, Thai or other Southeast Asian cuisines...
pastes, whereas in India, it tends to be used fresh or in pickling
Pickling
Pickling, also known as brining or corning is the process of preserving food by anaerobic fermentation in brine to produce lactic acid, or marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar . The resulting food is called a pickle. This procedure gives the food a salty or sour taste...
. In Thai cuisine it is used raw and cut in thin strips in certain Thai salads. It can also be served cut in to thin slices together with other herbs and vegetables with certain types of nam phrik
Nam phrik
Nam phrik , generally pronounced "Nam phik", is a generic term that may refer to any of the types of more or less thick spicy, often chili based, hot sauces typical of Thai cuisine. The main ingredients of Nam phrik are fresh or dry chilies, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, lime juice and/or some kind...
(Thai chilli pastes).
Medicinal uses
Zedoary is also used in some traditional eastern medicinesTraditional medicine
Traditional medicine comprises unscientific knowledge systems that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine...
, where it is reputed to be an aid to digestion, a relief for colic
Colic
Colic is a form of pain which starts and stops abruptly. Types include:*Baby colic, a condition, usually in infants, characterized by incessant crying*Renal colic, a pain in the flank, characteristic of kidney stones...
and an agent for purifying the blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
. It is also used as an antivenom for the Indian cobra
Indian Cobra
Indian Cobra or Spectacled Cobra is a species of the genus Naja found in the Indian subcontinent and a member of the "big four", the four species which inflict the most snakebites in India. This snake is revered in Indian mythology and culture, and is often seen with snake charmers...
. Zedoary has been used to treat coronary heart disease
Coronary heart disease
Coronary artery disease is the end result of the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the walls of the coronary arteries that supply the myocardium with oxygen and nutrients. It is sometimes also called coronary heart disease...
, liver cancer
Liver cancer
Liver tumors or hepatic tumors are tumors or growths on or in the liver . Several distinct types of tumors can develop in the liver because the liver is made up of various cell types. These growths can be benign or malignant...
, anemia
Anemia
Anemia is a decrease in number of red blood cells or less than the normal quantity of hemoglobin in the blood. However, it can include decreased oxygen-binding ability of each hemoglobin molecule due to deformity or lack in numerical development as in some other types of hemoglobin...
, chronic pelvic inflammation
Inflammation
Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation is a protective attempt by the organism to remove the injurious stimuli and to initiate the healing process...
and helps prevent leukopenia
Leukopenia
Leukopenia is a decrease in the number of white blood cells found in the blood, which places individuals at increased risk of infection....
due to cancer therapies. Zedoarin, kurdiona and kurkumol are substances that can be found in Zedoary. These substances turned out to be anti-neoplastic which can break ribosome
Ribosome
A ribosome is a component of cells that assembles the twenty specific amino acid molecules to form the particular protein molecule determined by the nucleotide sequence of an RNA molecule....
formation in cancer cells and wild tissue by enhancing the formation of fibroblast
Fibroblast
A fibroblast is a type of cell that synthesizes the extracellular matrix and collagen, the structural framework for animal tissues, and plays a critical role in wound healing...
tissue around the cancer tissue, and forming a layer of lymphocytes in the cells of cancer tissue and wrap it, so the tissue cells of the cancer can not grow, eventually the cancer cells will die, and no longer dangerous.
Others
The essential oil produced from the dried roots of Curcuma zedoaria is used in perfumery and soap fabrication, as well as an ingredient in bitter tonics.International naming
- In TamilTamil languageTamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, zedoary that is called karppurakkiccilikkilangku . - In Oriya, C. zedoaria is called Palua
- In Manipuri, C. zedoaria is called meitei yaingang.
- In Bengali, it is called aam aadaa (mango ginger)
- In Assamese, it is called katuri.
- In Indonesian, it is called Kunir Putih or Temu Putih .
- In Vietnam, it is called nghệ đen.
- In Thailand, it is called khamin khao.
External links
- Ars-Grin.gov, Curcuma zedoaria information from NPGS/GRIN
- CatalogueOfLife.org, Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist : Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe
- Iptek.net.id, Situs ipteknet
- NIH.go.jp, On curcuma zedoaria