Luyang-dilaw
Curcuma longa · Turmeric
- Names in the 1901 book
- Dilaw, Tag.; Dulaw, Kalawaga, Kinamboy, Vis.; Ag̃ay, Pam.; Turmeric Plant, Eng.
- Names in the 1985 book
- English: Turmeric, Round Turmeric; Tagalog: Dilaw, Luyang dilaw, Kilaw; Ilocano: Kuning, Kulyan, Kunig, Kunik; Visayan: Lampuyang, Kinambol, Kalabaga, Dulau
- Used for
- Cough and asthmaStomach and digestionSkinWounds, burns and boilsJoint pain, sprains and swellingHair and scalpMenstruation and childbirthEyes and ears
- Colours
- flowerwhite, yellowbractpinkrhizomeorange
- Native range
- South Asia
- Family
- Zingiberaceae, filed in the book under Zingiberaceæ
- Printed in 1901 as
- Curcuma longa, L.
- Printed in 1985 as
- Curcuma domestica Valet
- Sources
- Page 229 on Project Gutenberg · Healing Wonders of Herbs (1985), page 101 · Wikipedia
The plant today
Turmeric, or Curcuma longa, is a flowering plant in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. It is a perennial, rhizomatous, herbaceous plant native to the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia that requires temperatures between 20 and 30 °C (68 and 86 °F) and high annual rainfall to thrive. Plants are gathered each year for their rhizomes, some for propagation in the following season and some for consumption or dyeing.
Excerpt from “Turmeric” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sa Tagalog
Para sa ibang gamit, tingnan ang luya (paglilinaw). Ang luyang-dilaw (Curcuma longa) ay isang uri ng halamang kahawig ng luya. Ginagamit ito bilang pangkulay ng tela at pagkain. Mula ito sa pamiyla ng luya na Zingiberaceae. Ito ay katutubo sa mga tropikal na bansa saTimog Asya at nangangailangan ng temperaturang mula 20°C hanggang 30°C, at maraming ulan upang yumabong.
Sipi mula sa “Luyang-dilaw” sa Tagalog Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 233 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 39 provinces, most often Agusan del Sur (36), Zamboanga del Norte (29), Iloilo (19), Cavite (10), Lanao del Norte (9), Bataan (6), Rizal (6), Batanes (5), and 31 more.
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1901 book says
A historical record, quoted as printed. Doses and remedies here are not medical advice.
Uses
The yellow rhizome called by some azafrán (saffron), is used as a condiment; its odor is remotely suggestive of vanilla. The Philippine herb-doctors give it internally for hæmoptysis, externally as a plaster or in infusion for acute dermatitis. The juice is prescribed in doses of 30–60 grams in bronchial catarrh. In India they inhale the fumes of burning turmeric paper for coryza, and with good effect according to the testimony of Dr. Waring.
The drug is official in the Pharmacopœia of India. It is carminative, stimulant and probably antiseptic. Its decoction is used as an eye-wash in catarrhal and purulent conjunctivitis. The Mohammedans of Deccan use it for jaundice upon the theory that the yellow color of the skin in that disease is an indication for a remedy of the same color. The juice is also used in many parts of India to stain the face, nails and other parts of the body.
The tincture is prepared by macerating 30 grams of bruised rhizome in 200 cc. alcohol for seven days, then filtering. Turmeric paper is prepared by impregnating unsized paper with this tincture, and then drying. Both tincture and paper are used to test for alkalies.
The rhizomes contain a pigment called curcumin, an essential oil and fæcula. Curcumin (C14H14O4) is crystalline, yellow by direct light and blue by reflected light; it was studied by Jackson and Menke.
In the Philippines it is used extensively as a diaphoretic and emmenagogue and in icterus, intestinal colic and dysmenorrhœa; externally for skin diseases, contusions and atonic ulcers.
Gubler regards it as a diffusible stimulant. Its use is more extensive in England than in France and Spain; in India it forms an ingredient of curry, called carí in Manila. Curcumin is eliminated by the urine, which it colors yellow, and if at the same time an alkali be taken by the patient, especially a salt of calcium, the urine becomes red and may communicate this stain to the clothes. This fact should be borne in mind to avoid embarrassing mistakes in diagnosis or prognosis. Dose of powder, 2–5 grams.
Botanical description
Leaves 2–4° long, rising in bush-like bunches directly from the rhizome, broad-lanceolate, acuminate, gradually tapering down the long petioles; numerous prominent nerves give a ribbed appearance to the blade. Rhizome cylindrical, irregular, bright yellow within.
What the 1985 book uses it for
A record of home remedies from 1985, with the book's amounts and doses reworded. It is not medical advice.
- DandruffJuice of the pounded rhizome left on the scalp overnight.Massage in, leave overnight and shampoo in the morning.Page 21
- Flatulence or gas painRhizome decoction, drunk.Chop a piece about 2 inches long and boil in 2 glasses of water for 10 minutes. Adults take 1 cup every 4 hours. Children every 4 hours: babies 1 tablespoon, ages 2 to 6 a quarter cup, ages 7 to 12 half a cup.Page 26
- Rheumatism or rheumatic joint painCrushed rhizome in oil as an overnight poultice.One rhizome.Page 35
Summarised from Herminia de Guzman-Ladion, Healing Wonders of Herbs (Manila: Philippine Publishing House, 1985), where this plant is shown as “Kilaw” on page 101. The book is in copyright, so its wording and photographs are not reproduced. Amounts are the book's, restated.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- A Comprehensive Review on the Therapeutic Potential of Curcuma longa Linn. in Relation to its Major Active Constituent Curcumin
- Efficacy and Safety of Curcumin and Curcuma longa Extract in the Treatment of Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trial
- Curcumin and Curcuma longa Extract in the Treatment of 10 Types of Autoimmune Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 31 Randomized Controlled Trials