Turmeric is the golden spice of India. It belongs to the ginger family (zingiberaeceae) and is a rhizome, an underground stem. The Turmeric stem turns into orange-yellow shade. India is the leading producer of turmeric and it is the most common culinary spice in Indian cuisine, with a fragrant aroma and slightly bitter taste. Turmeric is an aromatic plant. Turmeric, is also cultivated in South Asian countries like China, Taiwan, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

It is reported that turmeric derived its name from the Latin word Terra Meritta which means sacred soil. It goes by several vernacular names such as Manjal in Tamil and Malayalam, Arishina in Kannada, Pasupu in Telugu, Haladi in Sanskrit and Haldi in Hindi and many other North Indian languages. Curcumin has been shown to have miraculous properties.