Abstract

ROLE OF TURMERIC IN MANAGEMENT OF DIFFERENT NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

Satabdi Bhattacharjee, Neepa Banerjee, Surjani Chatterjee, Tanaya Santra, Sandipan Chatterjee, Ayan Chatterjee, Priyanka Biswas, Santanu De, Dr. Shankarashis Mukherjee*

ABSTRACT

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is extensively used as a spice and grown widely throughout Indian subcontinent. Turmeric plant has been used in traditional medicine as a remedy for various diseases including cough, diabetes and hepatic disorders. For the last few decades, extensive works have been done to establish the pharmacological actions of Turmeric and its extracts. The active components in turmeric i.e., Curcumin, possess a broad spectrum of biological activities with various beneficial properties including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti mutagenic, anti-diabetic, antibacterial, hepato-protective, expectorant and anti-cancerous pharmacological activities. The continuous and daily exposure of curcumin may lead to changes in the absorptive capacity of mucosa of small intestine. Curcumin may have potential as a therapeutic agent in diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, pancreatitis, as well as certain types of cancer. Because of curcumin’s rapid plasma clearance and conjugation, its therapeutic usefulness has been somewhat limited, leading researchers to investigate the benefits of complexing curcumin with other substances to increase systemic bioavailability. This review gives emphasis mainly on the pharmacological activities of the Turmeric, its extracts and plausible medicinal applications of Turmeric.

Keywords: Curcumin, Absorption, Biological activities, Pharmacological actions, Therapeutic agent.