Family

Zingiberaceae

Genus

Curcuma

Common Name

Wen E Zhu

Plant Figure

Description

Curcuma wenyujin (“wen e zhu” in Chinese) from Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China, is widely considered to be the best source of Rhizoma Curcumae (“e zhu”), on account of its distinctive regional characteristics and high medicinal value, and is mainly produced in Ruian, Wenzhou. The main active constituents of C. wenyujin are volatile oil and curcumin, the former of which is composed of terpenoids and sesquiterpene derivatives, which have been reported to have anti-inflammatory, antitumor, lipid-regulating, antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, and other therapeutic effects.