Curcuma caesia also known as black turmeric or Kali Haldi is an important medicinal herb of Curcuma genus with wide therapeutic applications. Although the common species of the genus i.e. Curcuma longa has been extensively investigated, Curcuma caesia remains an underexplored despite being endangered and medicinally important. The rhizomes and leaves of C. caesia are rich in various types of bioactive compounds like phenols, terpenoids, flavonoids and alkaloids with diverse array of medicinal properties such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, analgesic and anticancer. Besides this, C. caesia has been found to be contain other bio components such as carbohydrates, amino acids phenols, glycosides, steroids tannins and saponins. The plant has also been used traditionally since ages to treat various ailments like fever, wounds, piles, asthma and other infections related to cough. The plant has also been proved to be effective against various types of cancer like breast cancer, colon cancer and lungs cancer. The present review is an effort to give an overview about the presence of various biologically active compounds, traditional uses and pharmacological potential which can be explored further for understanding the role of C. caesia in field of medicine.
anticancer, bioactive compounds, black turmeric, essential oil, pharmacological potential
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