Turmeric, a spice that has long been recognized for its medicinal properties, has received interest from both the medical/scientific world and from culinary enthusiasts, as it is the major source of the polyphenol curcumin. The use of turmeric, derived from the root of the plant Curcuma longa, for treatment of different inflammatory diseases has been described in Ayurveda and in traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years. The active component of turmeric responsible for this activity, curcumin, was identified almost two centuries ago. Anti-viral, Anti-oxidant, Anticancer, Anti-bacterial, Anti-asthmatic, Antiarthritis, Anti-diabetic, Anti-venom, Antiobesity, Wound-healing, in depression and anxiety and other activities. Various clinical trials and their observations regarding these activities have been discussed here. Curcumin is a tautomeric compound existing in enolic form in organic solvents and as a keto form in water. This review article summarizes a various role and activity of Curcumin. Tetrahydrocurcumin (THC) is one of the major colourless metabolite of curcumin. THC has been reported to exhibit the same physiological and pharmacological properties of curcumin.
