Curcuma, or Turmeric. Curcumei.

No. 1615. - The root of this plant is perennial, tuberous, palmate and internally of a deep yellow color. It is a native of the East Indies and China, the latter furnishing the best kind. The odor is peculiar; the taste warm, bitterish, and feebly aromatic. It tinges the saliva yellow. The root is a stimulant aromatic, bearing some resemblance to ginger in its operation, and is much used in India as a condiment. It is used in cookery to impart a yellow color to rice and foreign soups.