What is "curcumin"

Curcumin \Cur"cu*min\ (-m?n), n. (Chem.) The coloring principle of turmeric, or curcuma root, extracted as an orange yellow crystalline substance, C14H14O4, with a green fluorescence.

Note: It possesses acid properties and with alkalies forms brownish salts. This change in color from yellow to brown is the characteristic reaction of tumeric paper. See Turmeric paper, under Turmeric.

coloring matter, 1850, from Curcuma, genus name for plants of the ginger family, from which the chemical was drawn, Medieval Latin, from Arabic kurkum "saffron, tumeric." Compare crocus.

n. (context chemistry English) a polyphenol; the active ingredient of the spice turmeric

Curcumin (, diferuloylmethane) is a bright yellow chemical produced by some plants. It is the principal curcuminoid of turmeric (Curcuma longa), a member of the ginger family ( Zingiberaceae). It is sold as an herbal supplement, cosmetics ingredient, food flavoring and food coloring. As a food additive, its E number is E100.

It was isolated in 1815 when Vogel and Pelletier reported the isolation of a “yellow coloring-matter” from the rhizomes of turmeric and named it curcumin. Although curcumin has been used historically in Ayurvedic medicine, its potential medicinal properties remain unproven and are an area of active investigation.

Chemically, curcumin is a diarylheptanoid, belonging to the group of curcuminoids, which are natural phenols responsible for turmeric's' yellow color. It is a tautomeric compound existing in enolic form in organic solvents and as a keto form in water.