The powerful healing properties of many plants are becoming well known. Scientific research is constantly finding or re-discovering ways that plants can offer a multitude of benefits. Turmeric has been well researched and shown to have many excellent medicinal, cultural and culinary uses. We can grow it easily here, providing us with its fresh, bright orange roots directly from our own garden.
Known botanically as Curcuma longa, turmeric is a member of the Zingiberaceae or Ginger family which includes nearly 1,000 species that are widely grown in the tropics for their ornamental beauty and heady flower fragrances as well as their culinary, cultural and medicinal uses. The name for the genus Curcuma was derived from the Arabic word kurkum which identifies a yellow dye. Turmeric root, as well as the roots of several others in the genus, are used to dye cloth.
Though turmeric is probably native to India, it rapidly spread throughout the pan-tropical world where it was valued for its use in dyeing as well as in flavoring and medicine. India and China have used the spice in their foods and rituals dating back more than 5,000 years. Turmeric lies at the heart of Ayurveda, the Hindu traditional medicine, and is included in many of its ancient practices. In 1280 Marco Polo wrote in his journals about the use of the spice in China. Arab traders introduced it to Europe in the 13th century. Migrating Polynesians carried turmeric with them on their journey across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. Ancient Hawaiians called the root olena and used it in purification rituals as well as to dye kapa cloth. They also used the juice to treat earaches and sinus problems and it is still used similarly here in the islands.
Turmeric is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant with tender light green lanceolate leaves that arise from a pseudo stem near ground level and can grow to nearly four feet long in ideal conditions. The inflorescence usually appears on a spike among the leaves and is often somewhat hidden by them. It is white with a light green cast with many differently shaped petals on the spike some of which may have white throats with yellow tinted lips. Though the leaves and flowers make turmeric a lovely ornamental plant its above ground features fade and wither in winter. This is the time to harvest its bright orange roots to use as seed plants for next season or to be put to one of its many other uses. Though the root is the plant part that is used most, fresh turmeric leaves can impart a distinctive flavor when used to wrap food for cooking.
Widespread use of turmeric in Western culture is fairly recent. Studies continue to find health benefits of the plant. One of turmeric’s active compounds, curcumin has been shown to have a wide range of properties including: anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, and antiviral benefits. Ingesting turmeric can help fight off free radicals that can cause damage while stimulating our body’s own antioxidant mechanisms. Last year, trials began to evaluate turmeric for its potential use against human diseases including kidney and cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, several types of cancer and irritable bowel disease. Turmeric is also being investigated for potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes. Turmeric has outperformed many pharmaceuticals against chronic, debilitating diseases and has done so without adverse side effects.
Turmeric enhances our outer beauty as well. Curcuminoids support blood and liver functions that can help our skin look great. By fighting inflammation and free radicals, it can prevent damage and premature aging of our skin. Cleansing with turmeric can also help maintain your skin’s elasticity. You can make beneficial and whitening toothpaste by blending powered turmeric with baking soda and coconut oil. Do remember, that turmeric is a dye and can color skin, towels and your toothbrush, though it will not stain your teeth.
The dye made from turmeric root matches the deep orange of the rhizome. It is the source of the yellow-orange color used commonly in Indian clothing, such as saris. It is also an important color for Buddhist monks’ robes throughout Southeast Asia.
To plant your own, start with a healthy fresh rhizome. The flowers and leaves of the plant die back in winter. Harvest season is now upon us. You will likely find fresh local turmeric at the farmer’s markets as well as in health food stores and some grocery stores. It can be stored in a cool, dry place for several months before it dries out. It will not last as long in the refrigerator or in a damp environment.
Left alone in a paper bag in a dark place, the “fingers” of the root will begin to sprout. If you prefer, you can separate each “finger” and lay it in a seed tray with potting soil mix, cover the tray with plastic to maintain some moisture, and place it on a warming mat or the top of the refrigerator. You should plant with the bud tips pointing upward and water only infrequently until you see shoots appear.
Green shoots should appear in a couple of weeks or as spring approaches. Then you are ready to transfer the plant to a container or into your garden. Cover the rhizome with one half inch of soil in open shade or full sun in a cool location with rich soil that drains well. Water just enough to keep the soil moist but not wet. Turmeric is a heavy feeder. Add compost and mulch to the soil it is growing in.
After several months, the rhizomes will begin to branch and spread. When the leaves begin to die back usually in winter or 6 to 12 months after planting, it is time to harvest. Carefully unearth the rhizomes at the edge of the clump to use in cooking, cleansing, or to propagate new plants. Lots of information and instructive videos on growing and harvesting turmeric are available on the Internet.
Turmeric requires very little maintenance. If the leaves seem to be eaten by insects try spraying with a mix of soap and neem oil. Diseases of turmeric are rare. Most problems develop when the soil is too wet and the roots are weakened or begin to rot.
Try growing turmeric for one of its many wonderful qualities. You’ll be happy you did.
Diana Duff is a local organic farmer as well as a plant adviser and consultant. Karen Kriebl has an organic farm with her husband Tim Bruno in Honaunau. She authors a blog about the useful properties of Hawaiian agricultural crops at “Seed to Skin” on luananaturals.com.