Turmeric

Curcuma longa

Zingiberaceae

Golden rhizome of South Asian cooking, taken for stiff joints and low-grade inflammation.

Food spice. High-dose extracts are supplements.

Parts used: Rhizome
Traditional notes: Joint stiffness · Post-injury swelling · Sluggish digestion · Skin paste for minor wounds
Grow · USDA 6b: Tropical; pot culture in temperate zones. Plant fingers of fresh rhizome in late spring once nights are warm. In work: Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct
Harvest: After the foliage dies back in autumn, 8–10 months on.

Treat it like ginger: a long, hot, wet season in rich soil.
A 5-gallon pot on a warm patio works north of the tropics.
Fingers are ready when the leaves yellow — usually late autumn.

Safety

Bile-duct obstruction High-dose extracts in pregnancy — food amounts are fine

Lore

In Sanskrit it is haridra, the yellow one; in Polynesia it is a sacred dye. Marco Polo saw it and thought he had found saffron growing on a root. Kitchen gold and wedding paste are the same rhizome that stains the cutting board forever.

The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.