Better known in English as Turmeric, Curcuma is traditionally used to dye silk and woollen Buddhist robes their orange-yellow colour.

A perennial stemless herbaceous plant it grows to about 5' and has long light green leaves and a rhizome which is bright yellow inside..

Traditiionally used as a blood purifier and tonic and as an antiinflammatory and analgesic for rheumatism and arthritis it is particularly valued for liver disease eg. jaundice.

Ethnoveterinary applications: the rhizome is used for ulcers, abcesses, indigestion, loss of appetite, coughs and colds in ruminants. It is also used to treat ailments in poultry such as rheumatism and intestinal worms.