Family : Zingiberaceae

English : Round zedoary

Hindi : Kachura, Karchur

Gujarati : Kachuro

Sanskrit : Sati, Shad kachuro

Part used : Rhizome

Botanical Description: A perennial herb with conical rhizome bearing small tubers with long stalks. Leaves simple, entire, broadly lanceolate with purple veins along the main nerve. Flowers are yellow, bracts greenish infloroscence cylinderical arising from the rhizome. Flowering and fruiting from September to March.

It occurs wildly in India.

Modern Pharmacological Action: Curcuma zedoaria contains volatile oils and when its extract is injected into mice that have tumors, the tumors shrink. It is believed that the enhanced fibrinolysis and other processes stimulated by volatile oils allow immune system cells to enter the tumor and consume or destroy the tumor cells. Moreover, it is believed that this type of herbs have low toxicity. The ethanolic extract of C. Zedoaria contains three identified active curcuminoids, namely curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin, which were found to possess inhibitory activity against tumor growth and to be cytotoxic to murine sarcoma.