Turmeric, also known as tulip and Baoding, belongs to the perennial herb of the genus Turmeric in the ginger family, which is a traditional Chinese medicine with dried rhizomes, warm and bitter taste. Curcumin is the most important chemical component of turmeric to exert pharmacological effects, with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-angiogenic and anti-tumor pharmacological effects, and there are no obvious adverse reactions.
Curcumin extracted from turmeric mainly has three compound monomers, namely curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bis-demethoxycurcumin, of which curcumin has the highest content, accounting for 70% of the total compound of turmeric. Curcumin is a mixture of ketone pigments that are almost insoluble in water, ether, slightly soluble in benzene, and easily soluble in methanol, ethanol, acetone, ethyl acetate, glacial acetic acid, and alkali solutions.
Curcumin has strong medicinal properties. A large number of experiments have proved that curcumin has a good anti-tumor effect, mainly manifested in its ability to effectively inhibit tumor growth and spread by reducing the number of tumors and reducing the size of the tumor; curcumin also has an antioxidant effect, which can protect hemoglobin from oxidation, and can significantly inhibit the production of superoxide anions, hydrogen peroxide, and nitrite groups by activating macrophages, and curcumin can also reduce the production of reactive oxygen species in the human body. In addition, curcumin also has anti-inflammatory, bacteriostatic and liver protection effects, and can prevent joint enlargement, arthritis, but also has a significant effect on cardiovascular disease.
In addition to being widely used in the medical industry, curcumin also has very good development prospects in the food industry. Curcumin is a natural food pigment, strong dispersion, good dyeing power, strong corrosion resistance, no side effects, often used as a natural food additive, in the application process has many advantages.
At present, curcumin has developed a variety of carriers and different precursor drugs such as nanoparticles, solid dispersions, cyclodextrin complexes, targeted liposomes, microspheres, microcapsules, self-microemulsions, nano micelles, etc., with good development and application prospects.
This article is scientifically checked by Han Sujuan, senior teacher of the Ninth Middle School in Gaocheng District, Shijiazhuang City.
This work is the original of "Popular Science China - Scientific Principles One Point", please indicate the source when reprinting.
【Source: Popular Science China Network】
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