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King's American Dispensatory By Harvey Wickes Felter and John Uri Lloyd 1898 - Turmeric

The rhizome of Curcuma longa, Linné (Curmuna rotunda, Linné; Amomu'm. Curcuma, Jacquin). Nat. OWL—Zingiberaceae. 4 Common NAMES: Tawnerz'c (long and round), Carcmna. ILLUSTRATION: Bentley and Trimen, Med. Plants, 269. Botanical Source—This is a perennial plant, with the” roots or tubers ob long, )almate, and deep-orange inside. The root-leaves are about 2 feet long, lanceo ate, long-petioled, tapering at each end, smooth, and of a uniform green color. The petioles are sheathing. The spike is erect, cen tral, oblong, and green. Its flowers are dull yellow, arranged 3 or 5 together, surrounded by bracteolze (L.). , History—'Turmeric is indigenous to sev eral parts of southern and eastern Asia, and is extensively- cultivatedvin China, Hindustan, and other countries, where it is propagated from cuttings of the root. Several varieties are found in commerce, their names being derived from the countries producing them Thus we have Ch'L-nese. Madras, Bengal, Java, and Cochin tunnerics. The latter is thought to be derived from another species than Curauma longa, Linné, and though never Fig. 90. Long turmeric. Short turmeric. 636 CURCUMA. used as turmeric in Cochin, the natives obtain from it a variety of arrow-root. The other varieties differ somewhat, though in general not enough to be noticed by inexperienced persons. The Chinese turmeric is generally preferred. Java turmeric is the least valuable, and is the product of Curcuma longa, var. minor, Hasskarl. Curcuma is chiefly used as a condiment and for dyeing; the Bengal variety, which is of a deeper color, being generally preferred for the latter purpose. While the foregoing varieties of curcuma are recognized, the drug is generally distinguished in commerce by the terms long and round turmeric. The latter is the central or primary rhizome of the plant, while the former consists of the lat eral or secondary rhizomes. Turmeric is largely used in the preparation of Tur meric Test Paper, and also for coloring table mustard and some other food products. Description—Long turmeric (curmnna. longa), when dry, is in slightly curved, subcylindrical, or oblong tubers, about 1 to 3 inches in length, and from J; to 1} inch in diameter, often pointed or tapering at one end, yellowish externall , with transverse, parallel rings, internally deep-yellow or reddish-brown, marke with shining points (due to immersion in scalding water in order to facilitate the dry ing process), dense, solid, having a short, granular fracture, and forming a lemon yellow powder. Round lurnwric (curcuma rotunda), differs in being ovate, pear shaped, or subspherical, occasionally pointed and crowned with leaf remains at the upper end. They are from 1% to 2 inches long, and from i to 1?; inches in diameter. Turmeric has a peculiar, somewhat fragrant odor, and a bitterish, slightly acrid taste, like that of ginger, exciting a moderate degree of warmth in the mouth, and communicates a yellow color to the saliva. It yields its proper ties to water or alcohol. Chemical Composition—The yellow coloring matter, curcumin,_ was first obtained (impure) by Vogel and Pelletier; more recently it was prepared in pure and crystalline form by Daube (1870), and contemporaneously by Ivanow-Gajew sky. It was further studied and some derivatives of it repared by C. Loring Jackson and A. G. Menke, in 1882—83, who determine the formula C,,H,,O,. These chemists obtained it from the root by first removing the fatty and volatile oil by means of ligroin, which removed 11 per cent of the weight of the root, then abstracting curcumin (contaminated with resins), by means of ether, and repeat edly crystallizing from alcohol until the melting point became constant, viz.: 178° C. (352.4° F.). The yield was 0.3 per cent. As thus obtained, curcumin or s tallizes in amber-yellow prisms, appearing orange-yellow in reflected light, in so u ble in water and diluted acids, sparingly soluble (1 in 2000) in benzene (Daube’s solvent, which refuses to dissolve the resins); easil soluble in ether, chloroform, and alcohol; also in diluted alkaline solutions with a striking red-brown, fluores cent color. It is partly soluble, with crimson color, in concentrated acid solu tions. Non-alkaline solutions exhibit reen fluorescence. Chemically, curcumin is a substituted aromatic oxyacid, yiel ing vauillin with weak oxidizers, and proto calechuic acid when fused with caustic potash. Filtering paper saturated with an alcoholic solution of curcumin and dried, reacts like turmeric tincture (see below) towards acids, alkalies, and boric acid. It turns red—brown with alkalies which color becomes violet upon drying; the yellow color is restored with acids. When the paper is dipped into solution of boric acid, it turns orange-red (upon drying), and remains so even when it is afterward moist ened with free mineral acid. Paper that has been turned to orange b borio acid will assume a blue color when it ismoistened with diluted alkali. Sc lumberger (1866) obtained crystalline rosocyanin b ' heating an alcoholic solution of curcumin and boric acid with mineral acids an then allowing the blood-red solution to cool. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in alcohol, this solution.turning blue upon the addition of an alkali. A red compound of curcumin with boric acid was obtained in the form of a precipitate by the same author, by adding water to a mixture of alcoholic curcu min and boric acid; boiling water removed therefrom all the boric acid, leaving a yellow resin which he called pseudomrcumin. Strong sulphuric acid forms with curcumin a solution of crimson color, which color disappears upon dilution with water, a precipitate of yellow flakes resulting. About 1 er cent of an acrid volatile oil is present in curcuma root. one con stituent of w ich, called turmerol, was isolated, in 1883, by C. L. Jackson and cusso. 637 A. G. Menke, the boiling point being about 193° C. (379.4° F.). It has a pleasant aromatic odor, is lighter than water, and is oxidized by means of potassium per manganate to terephthalic acid (C,H,[COOH],). The presence of alkaloids in cur cuma root was indicated by Ivanow-Gajewsky and by J. Cook. Kachler, in 1870, obtained considerable amounts of acid potassium oxalate from an aqueous infu sion of the root. TURMERIC TINCTURE and TURMERIC PAPER—Turmeric is much employed as a test for alkalies, which render it reddish or brownish; white bibulous pa er or paper not sized, is brushed over with the tincture or decoction, or dippe into one of them, and dried in a neutral atmosphere (see Reagents and Test Solutions of U. S. P., No. 53%. Action, edical Uses, and Dosage—Turmeric is a mild, aromatic stimu lant, but is seldom used in this country, except to color ointments and pharma ceutical mixtures.