In South East Asia, turmeric leaves are added to various meats, and other savoury dishes for flavor, to be served with rice, and are also believed to be beneficial for health.
Some studies have investigated the physiochemical characteristics of the turmeric leaf extract to demonstrate its functional effects such as whitening, cosmeceutical, skin immunity, anti-inflammation, and antioxidant activities. These effects mainly come from curcumin, total phenolic compounds, and the flavonoids in turmeric leaves.
The leaves is a good coloring agent and a basic ingredient in curry powders and are purported to improve digestion and reduce gas and bloating.
The essential oils from leaves and flowers are usually dominated by monoterpenes while those from roots and rhizomes primarily contained sesquiterpenes. The essential oils of leaves of turmeric have been analyzed by Gas Liquid Chromatography and reported to contain linalool, caryophyllene, geraniol, α-pinene, β-pinene, sabinene, myrcene, α-phellandrene, 1,8-cineole, p-cymene, C8-aldehyde, and methyl heptanone.
Study published in Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society (February 2009) shows that Curcuma longa leaf extract exhibited good antioxidant activity. The topping up of the oil and natural antioxidant, may explain why C. longa extract showed better antioxidant protection in the frying experiments compared to the accelerated oxidation study, at similar concentrations of 0.2%.
Turmeric leaves
