Curcuma aromatica. 郁 金 Yù jīn- "Elegant dense growth gold" Wild turmeric  Family: Zingiberaceae (Ginger family)    
Nature: Cold     FLAVOR: Acrid, pungent bitter  CHANNELS: Heart, Lung, Liver- more chest area
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Regulate Blood and removing stasis
1. Regulate Blood.
2. Regulate Energy congestion.[1,2,6] Relieve pain.[6]
3. Cools the Blood and resolves bruises and clots.[1] Clears blood congestion. Benefit gall bladder:[6] stimulates bile secretion.
4. Strengthen Stomach.[6]
5. Diuretic.[6]
ACTIONS
INDICATIONS
1. Important herb for regulating Liver Qi stagnation:[6] Congestion of Blood and Energy in ribs and chest.[1,2,6] Chest pain.[1,2] Pain in abdomen and muscles.[1] Chronic sadness inside causing Liver problems.[6]
2. Dysmenorrhea due to chronic Blood stasis:[6] Menstrual irregularities.[1] Period pain before period (showing a full condition).[6] Blood disorders-[1] Hematemesis, epistaxis, hematuria.
3. Epilepsy. Coma due to mania and fever.[1]
4. Chronic hepatitis.[6] Jaundice.
PATENT COMBINATIONS
- Relaxing the Spirit: Nourishes Heat Blood and Yin, calms the Shen. Tonifies and regulated the Middle Jiao. Harmonises Liver and Spleen  Zizyphus and Polygala- An shen ding zhi wan.
- Damp heat in the Liver with the Liver attaching the Spleen, Liver Qi stagnation and Spleen Qi Deficiency: Spreads the Liver Qi and harmonises the Liver and the Spleen, clears Damp Heat, clears Heat and resolves Toxicity Liver tonic- Guo tai hu gan jiao nang.
COMPARISONS: Jiang huang, Yu jin and E zhu
All three eliminate Blood stasis and promote flow of Qi.
Jiang huang stimulates menstrual discharge, and relieve pain.
Yu jin also calms the nerves and ease the mind, and increase the flow of bile.
E zhu promotes the flow of qi and eliminate blood stasis with powerful effect, and to relieve pain by removing the stagnation of undigested food.[5]
PREPARATIONS: Decoction  Dry tuberous Root  3-9 g.[1,2,6]
Fluid Extract (1:1) 1.7-4.8 ml 3 times/day.[4]
Curcumin 400-600 mg 3 times/day.[4]
Turmeric 8-60 g 3 times/day.[4]
Best taken with Bromelain or lipid base (eg lecithin, fish oils, essential fatty acids) to increase absorption of curcumin.[4]

- Dysmenorrhea- add Dang gui.
References
Constituents
Research

Curcumin: an orally bioavailable blocker of TNF and other pro-inflammatory biomarkers.
Aggarwal BB, Gupta SC, Sung B.
Abstract
TNFs are major mediators of inflammation and inflammation-related diseases, hence, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of blockers of the cytokine, TNF-α, for the treatment of osteoarthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, psoriasis and ankylosis. These drugs include the chimeric TNF antibody (infliximab), humanized TNF-α antibody (Humira) and soluble TNF receptor-II (Enbrel) and are associated with a total cumulative market value of more than $20 billion a year. As well as being expensive ($15 000-20 000 per person per year), these drugs have to be injected and have enough adverse effects to be given a black label warning by the FDA. In the current report, we describe an alternative, curcumin (diferuloylmethane), a component of turmeric (Curcuma longa) that is very inexpensive, orally bioavailable and highly safe in humans, yet can block TNF-α action and production in in vitro models, in animal models and in humans. In addition, we provide evidence for curcumin's activities against all of the diseases for which TNF blockers are currently being used. Mechanisms by which curcumin inhibits the production and the cell signalling pathways activated by this cytokine are also discussed. With health-care costs and safety being major issues today, this golden spice may help provide the solution. Br J Pharmacol. 2013 Aug;169(8):1672-92. doi: 10.1111/bph.12131. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Antibacterial Activity of Rhizome of Curcuma aromatica and Partial Purification of Active Compounds
S. Revathi* and N. S. Malathy
Abstract
The hexane extract of Curcuma aromatica, a plant belonging to the family Zingiberaceae was tested on 10 bacterial strains (clinical isolates and standard strains). Agar diffusion method was adopted for determining the antibacterial activity of the extract. The hexane extract was found to be active against all Gram-positive strains tested, but inactive against Gram-negative strains. The minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum bactericidal concentration were determined and found to be 539 μg/ml. The phytochemical analysis of hexane extract by gas chromatography mass spectrometry revealed the presence of 13 compounds. The crude hexane extract was partially purified by thin layer chromatography. The zone showing good antibacterial activity was analysed further by gas chromatography mass spectrometry, UV/Vis spectrophotometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which indicated the probable presence of germacrone.
Indian J Pharm Sci. 2013 Nov-Dec; 75(6): 732–735.
PMCID: PMC3928740 PMID: 24591751 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Inhibitory effects of Curcuma aromatica oil on proliferation of hepatoma in mice.
Wu WY, Xu Q, Shi LC, Zhang WB.
Abstract
AIM:
To reveal the inhibitory effects of Curcuma aromatica oil (CAO) on cell proliferation of hepatoma in mice.
METHODS:
Two tumor inhibitory experiments of CAO on hepatoma in mice were conducted. The inhibitory effects of CAO on proliferation of hepatoma in mice were evaluated by DNA image cytometry and immunohistochemical staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA).
RESULTS:
The tumor inhibitory rates of CAO were 52% and 51% in two experiments, respectively. Compared with those of the saline-treated control groups, both differences were statistically significant (P < 0.01). In the group of mice treated with CAO, the cellular nuclear DNA OD value (249 plus minus 70), areas (623&mgr;m(2) plus minus 228&mgr;m(2)) and DNA (2.38 plus minus 0.67) index of hepatic carcinomas were significantly lower than those of the control group (430 plus minus 160, 1073&mgr;m(2) plus minus 101&mgr;m2and 4.48 plus minus 0.71). CAO also could increase diploidy cell rates (29.00% plus minus 9.34% vs 2.97% plus minus 5.69%, P < 0.01) and decrease pentaploidy cell exceeding rate (30.04% plus minus 15.10% vs 70.89% plus minus 14.94%, P<0.01). In the group of mice treated with CAO, the labeling indexes of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA-LI) were 30% plus minus 4%, which were significantly lower than 40% plus minus 6% of the control group (P<0.01).
CONCLUSION:
The inhibition of CAO on the growth of hepatoma in mice might be associated with its depression on cellular proliferative activity.
PMID: 11819559 PMCID: PMC4723487 World J Gastroenterol. 2000 Apr;6(2):216-219. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Curcuma aromatica Water Extract Attenuates Ethanol-Induced Gastritis via Enhancement of Antioxidant Status
Woo-Young Jeon, Mee-Young Lee, In-Sik Shin, Seong Eun Jin, and Hyekyung Ha , *
Abstract
Curcuma aromatica is an herbal medicine and traditionally used for the treatment of various diseases in Asia. We investigated the effects of C. aromatica water extract (CAW) in the stomach of rats with ethanol-induced gastritis. Gastritis was induced in rats by intragastric administration of 5 mL/kg body weight of absolute ethanol. The CAW groups were given 250 or 500 mg of extract/kg 2 h before administration of ethanol, respectively. To determine the antioxidant effects of CAW, we determined the level of lipid peroxidation, the level of reduced glutathione (GSH), the activities of catalase, degree of inflammation, and mucus production in the stomach. CAW reduced ethanol-induced inflammation and loss of epithelial cells and increased the mucus production in the stomach. CAW reduced the increase in lipid peroxidation associated with ethanol-induced gastritis (250 and 500 mg/kg, p < 0.01, resp.) and increased mucosal GSH content (500 mg/kg, p < 0.01) and the activity of catalase (250 and 500 mg/kg, p < 0.01, resp.). CAW increased the production of prostaglandin E2. These findings suggest that CAW protects against ethanol-induced gastric mucosa injury by increasing antioxidant status. We suggest that CAW could be developed for the treatment of gastritis induced by alcohol.
Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015; 2015: 582496.
Published online 2015 Sep 21. doi: 10.1155/2015/582496
PMCID: PMC4592911
PMID: 26483844 ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Aqueous extract of Curcuma aromatica induces apoptosis and G2/M arrest in human colon carcinoma LS-174-T cells independent of p53.
Hu B, Shen KP, An HM, Wu Y, Du Q.
Abstract
Curcuma aromatica is a common Chinese herb for treating diseases with blood stasis and has been regarded as an anticancer herb in modern clinical practice. However, the anticancer effects and related molecular mechanisms of Curcuma aromatica remain unclear. In the present study, human colon carcinoma LS-174-T cell line with wild-type p53 was used as a model cell to evaluate the anticancer effects of aqueous extract of Curcuma aromatica (AECA). AECA inhibits LS-174-T cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner and colony formation in a dose-dependent manner. AECA treatment induces apoptosis accompanied by caspase-8, -9, and -3 activation in LS-174-T cells. Moreover, blocking the activities of these caspases with a specific inhibitor significantly protected LS-174-T cells from AECA-induced apoptosis. AECA treatment also induces G2/M phase arrest in LS-174-T cells. Expression of p53 was unchanged after AECA treatment; specific silence of p53 did not influence AECA-induced apoptosis and G2/M phase arrest. Further, the expression of cyclin B1 and CDK1 was reduced by AECA. This study suggests that AECA might be effective as an antiproliferative herb for colon carcinoma, the antitumor activity of AECA may involve both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis, and AECA induces G2/M phase arrest via downregulation of cyclin B1 and CDK1 and without the participation of p53.
PMID: 21348775 DOI: 10.1089/cbr.2010.0853 Cancer Biother Radiopharm. 2011 Feb;26(1):97-104. doi: 10.1089/cbr.2010.0853. Epub 2011 Feb 24. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Repellency of aromatic turmeric Curcuma aromatica under laboratory and field conditions.
Pitasawat B, Choochote W, Tuetun B, Tippawangkosol P, Kanjanapothi D, Jitpakdi A, Riyong D.
Abstract
Three Curcuma species, Curcuma aeruginosa (pink and blue ginger), Cu. aromatica (aromatic turmeric), and Cu. xanthorrhiza (giant curcuma), were selected for investigation of mosquito repellent activity. In a laboratory study, a 95% ethanol extract of each plant was tested for repellent activity of Aedes togoi on human volunteers. Only Cu. aromatica extract showed repellency against Ae. togoi with ED50 and ED95 values of 0.061 and 1.55 mg/cm2, respectively. It also provided biting protection for 3.5 h when applied at a concentration of 25 g%. The ethanolic extract of Cu. aromatica was therefore chosen for further repellent activity under field conditions, where it had a protective effect against Armigeres subalbatus, Culex quinquefasciatus, and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus. The ethanol-extracted Cu. aromatica did not cause dermal irritation when applied to human skin. No adverse effects on human volunteers were observed 2 mo after application. Therefore, Cu. aromatica extract can be applied as an effective personal protection measure against mosquito bites.
PMID: 14714673 J Vector Ecol. 2003 Dec;28(2):234-40. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Essential oil composition and antioxidant activities of Curcuma aromatica Salisb.
Al-Reza SM, Rahman A, Sattar MA, Rahman MO, Fida HM.
Abstract
The chemical composition of the hydro-distilled essential oil from leaves of Curcuma aromatica Salisb. was analysed by GC-MS. Twenty-three compounds representing 94.29% of the total oil were identified. The antioxidant activities of the oil and various extracts of C. aromatica were evaluated by using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and superoxide radical-scavenging assays. The oil and methanol extract showed potent DPPH radical-scavenging activities (IC(50)=14.45 and 16.58 microg/ml, respectively), which were higher than butylated hydroxyanisole (IC(50)=18.27 microg/ml). The extracts also exhibited remarkable superoxide radical-scavenging activities (IC(50)=22.6-45.27 microg/ml) and the activity in the methanol extract was superior to all other extracts (IC(50)=22.6 microg/ml). Furthermore, the amount of total phenolic compounds was determined and its content in ethyl acetate extract was the highest as compared to other extracts. The results indicate that the oil and extracts of C. aromatica could serve as an important bio-resource of antioxidants for using in the food industries.
PMID: 20385198 DOI: 10.1016/j.fct.2010.04.008 Food Chem Toxicol. 2010 Jun;48(6):1757-60. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2010.04.008. Epub 2010 Apr 10. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov