Benefits Of The Javanese Turmeric plant

 

BENEFITS OF THE JAVANESE TURMERIC PLANT

1.    A BRIEF HISTORY

Javanese Turmeric plant is a medicinal plant in the form of a clump with a pseudo-stem. Javanese Turmeric plant ( curcuma Xanthorrhiza Rob ) is a superior medicinal plant with multifunction properties. The rhizome of the Javanese Turmeric plant mother plant is round like an egg and dark yellow or reddish-brown in color, with a brownish-orange interior ( Afifah, et.al. 2003 )

Javanese Turmeric plant is often found in southeast Asia, especially in Indonesia. In Indonesia, the names for Javanese Turmeric plant very. For example, in West Java, Javanese Turmeric Plant  is called “ Koneng Gede” while in Madura it is called “ temu Radish”.

The Javanese turmeric plant originated in Southeast Asia, with Indonesia and Malaysia being the origins of its global distribution. Currently, this plant can be found in China, Indonesia, Barbados, India, Japan, Korea, The United States, and several European countries, besides Southeast Asia ( Raharjo, et al, 2003 )

 

2.    CLASSIFICATION

Herbaceous plant with pseudo stem with height up to more than 1  m but less than 2 m, green or dark brown. Rhizome roots are formed perfectly and strongly branched, dark green. Each stem has 2 – 9 leaves with a round shape elongated to  lanceolate, green or light to dark purplish brown color , leaf length 31 – 84 cm and width 10 – 18 cm leaf stalk length including blade 43 – 80 cm ( Dalimarta, 2003 ).

Lateral connection, slender stalk and scales in the form of a line, the stalk is 9 – 23 cm long and 4 – 6 cm wide, with many protective leaves that are longer than or comparable to the flower crown. The flower cluster is white, hairy, 8 -13 mm long, the flower crown is tubular with a total length of 4.5 cm, the flower strands are round and elongated, white with diced red or tips, 1.25 – 2 cm long and 1 cm wide ( Kemala, et.al. 2003 )

According to Dalimarta ( 2003 ), the classification of Javanese turmeric is as follows :

1.    Definition                        : Spematophyta

2.    Subdivision         : Angiospermae

3.    Class                    : Monocotyledonae

4.    Order                    : Zingiberales

5.    Family                  : Zingiberaceae

6.    Genus                  : Curcuma

7.    Species                : Curcuma Xanthorrhiza Roxb

  

3.    BENEFIT

There are many benefits of this plant, in Indonesia the only part that is used is the Javanese Turmeric rhizome to make herbal medicine “ Godong” ( Kemala, et al. 2003 )

This Javanese Turmeric rhizome contains 48 – 59 . 64% starch, 1,6 – 22% curcuma and 1.48- 1.63% essential oils and believed to improve kidney function and anti – inflammatory ( Anomin, 2002 ). Other benefits of this plants rhizome are as a cure for acne, increase appetite, anti-cholesterol, anti-inflammatory, anemia, antioxidant, cancer prevention, anti-microbial ( Purnomowati, 2008 ). The part that is taken form Javanese Turmeric to overcome eating difficulties in children is the rhizome. The Javanese Turmeric rhizome is branched. The inside is yellow while the outside is light yellow ( Winarno, 1997 )

 

4.    BIOTIC COMPONENTS IN CURCUMALAWAK

Plants used as traditional medicine have biological activity because they contain various chemical compounds, especially secondary metabolites that can affect the living cells of organisms. ( Nur cholis, 2008 ). According to Bernawie ( 2006 ), the chemical content of Javanese Turmeric plant rhizomes that gives meaning to its users as a source of food, industrial raw materials, or raw materials for medicine can be divided into several fractions, namely :

a.    Starch Fraction

Starch is one the major components of Javanese Turmeric plant, in powder form, yellowish white in color because it contains curcuminoid spores, has an oval to oval shape with one end square, size between 33 to 100 µm with an average size of 60 µm, the hilus is not central, there are catfish that are not concentric. The shape of Javanese Turmeric plant starch is so distinctive that it is used as of the identifying elements for the identification of Javanese Turmeric plant rhizome simplicia ( Bermawaie. 2006 )

b.    Curcuminoid Fraction

Curcuminoids from Javanese Javanese Turmeric rhizomes are substances consisting of a mixture of compounds called curcuma and desmethoxycurcumin. The are arrange-yellow in color, powdered with a slightly bitter taste, and soluble in acetone, alcohol, glacial acetic acid and alkali hydroxides ( Afifah et al., 2003). Curcuma  is insoluble in water and diethyl ether. Curcuminoids have a distinctive aroma and are non-toxic.

Curcuma has molecular formula of  C₂₁H₂₀O₆ ( Molecular weght = 368 ) while desmotoxy curcuma has a molecular formula of  C₂₁H₂₀O₆

With a molecular weight of 385 ( Barmawie, 2006 )

An interesting chemical property of curcuminoids is their color-changing properties due to changes in environmental pH in acidic conditions, curcuminoids are yellow or orange-yellow, while in alkaline conditions is they are red. Another unique characteristic of curcuma in alkaline conditions is that in addition to dissociation, curcuminoids can degrade to form ferulic acid and ferulloylmethane ( Barnawie, 2006 )

This degradation occurs when curcuma is a pH environment of 8.5 – 10 for a relatively long time, although this does not mean that curcuma degradation does nit occur in a relatively short time, because the degradation process is also greatly influenced by environmental temperature.

One of the degradation products, feruloylmenthane, has a yellow-brown color that will affect the red color that should occur. Another important property of curcuminoids is their activity in light. When curcuma is expose to light, its structure decomposes in the form of curcuma cyclization or structural degradation ( Hermani, 2001 )  

So that’s a little discussion about Javanese Turmeric plant which is very beneficial for the human body.