Turmeric is the boiled, dried, cleaned, and polished rhizomes of curcuma longa. The plant is an herbaceous perennial, 60- 90 cm high, with a short stem and tufted leaf. This plant is a native of India. However, apart from India, it is also cultivated in Pakistan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Japan, Korea, China, Sri Lanka, Nepal, East/West Africa, and many other countries in the west. In India, turmeric is cultivated in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. It is a tropical crop that grows in light black, black clayey and red soils in irrigated and rainfed conditions. The crop cannot stand water logging or alkalinity.

Often used to flavour and colour foodstuffs, it is a principal ingredient in curry powder. Turmeric oleoresin is used in brine pickles and to some extent in mayonnaise and relish formulations, non-alcoholic beverages, gelatins, butter, and cheese, etc. The colour curcumin extracted from turmeric is used as a colorant.

Turmeric is also used as a dye in textile industry. Often used in preparation of medical oils, ointments, and poultice; it is a stomachic, carminative, tonic, blood purifier and an antiseptic. It is used in cosmetics and the aqueous extracts has biopesticide properties.