Files
Abstract
Curcuma caesia Roxb., commonly known as black turmeric is an important medicinal plant belonging to the family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial crop with bluish-black rhizome. The rhizome in inner part is bluish-black in colour and emits a characteristic sweet smell due to the presence of essential oil. It contains: alkaloids, terpenes, amino acids, carbohydrates, tannins, flavones, flavonoids, steroids, reducing sugars, proteins, anthraquinones, glycosides, cardiac glycosides. The rhizomes have a high value because of its putative medicinal properties. The rhizomes are used in carminative properties (Gantait et al., 2011), treatment of smooth muscle relaxant activity, haemorrhoids, leprosy, asthma, cancer, epilepsy, fever, wound, vomiting, menstrual disorder, anthelmentic, aphrodisiac, gonorrhoeal discharges and inflammation (Arulmozhi et al., 2006 and Sasikumar, 2005).