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Turmeric is the dried rhizome of the perennial herb Curcuma longa L. Turmeric is cultivated in India, South America, and Indochina. Harvested rhizomes are boiled in mild alkali and dried to produce the raw material for extraction.

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The yellow hue of turmeric is produced by a mixture of three polyphenol pigments synthesized in the rhizomes of the plant. These pigments are collectively called curcuminoids and more commonly curcumin.
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