Turmeric has a peppery, warm and bitter flavour with a mild fragrance slightly reminiscent of orange and ginger. While it is best known as one of the ingredients used to make curry, it also gives mustard its bright yellow colour.
Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and has a tough brown skin and a deep orange flesh. Turmeric has long been used as a powerful anti-inflammatory in both the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine. Turmeric is sometimes called "Indian saffron" because of its deep yellow-orange colour and has been used throughout history as a condiment, healing remedy and textile dye.
Turmeric is an excellent source of both iron and manganese and a good source of vitamin B6, dietary fibre and potassium.
Turmeric's combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects explains why many people with joint disease find relief when they use the spice regularly. In a recent study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, curcumin produced comparable improvements in a shortened duration of morning stiffness, lengthened walking time, and reduced joint swelling.