Description

Curcuma zedoaria, white turmeric or zedoary, is a robust rhizomatous perennial herb of the family Zingiberaceae, native to the tropical rainforests of northeastern India — particularly Assam, Meghalaya, and Manipur — and the adjoining regions of Bangladesh and China. Unlike common turmeric (Curcuma longa), the rhizome of Curcuma zedoaria is internally white to pale yellow with a distinctive camphoraceous, slightly bitter aroma derived from sesquiterpene ketones including curzerenone and germacrone. Known in Sanskrit as Shati and documented in the Charaka Samhita and Sushruta Samhita for digestive, anti-dysenteric, and blood-purifying preparations, the rhizome is listed in the Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. It is also an important spice and starch source in Southeast Asia, where it is consumed raw in salads. Commercially cultivated in Assam, West Bengal, and Odisha.