Turmeric, ,) 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 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.
Curcumin is a bright yellow chemical produced by plants of the Curcuma longa species. It is the principal curcuminoid of turmeric, a member of the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. It is sold as a herbal supplement, cosmetics ingredient, food flavoring, and food coloring.
In organic chemistry, a dicarboxylic acid is an organic compound containing two carboxyl groups. The general molecular formula for dicarboxylic acids can be written as HO2C−R−CO2H, where R can be aliphatic or aromatic. In general, dicarboxylic acids show similar chemical behavior and reactivity to monocarboxylic acids.
Gingerol ([6]-gingerol) is a phenolic phytochemical compound found in fresh ginger that activates heat receptors on the tongue. It is normally found as a pungent yellow oil in the ginger rhizome, but can also form a low-melting crystalline solid. This chemical compound is found in all members of the Zingiberaceae family and is high in concentrations in the grains of paradise as well as an African Ginger species.
Etlingera elatior is a species of herbaceous perennial plant in the family Zingiberaceae; it is native to Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and New Guinea.
Tyrocidine is a mixture of cyclic decapeptides produced by the bacteria Brevibacillus brevis found in soil. It can be composed of 4 different amino acid sequences, giving tyrocidine A–D. Tyrocidine is the major constituent of tyrothricin, which also contains gramicidin. Tyrocidine was the first commercially available antibiotic, but has been found to be toxic toward human blood and reproductive cells. The function of tyrocidine within its host B. brevis is thought to be regulation of sporulation.
Pinosylvin is an organic compound with the formula C6H5CH=CHC6H3(OH)2. A white solid, it is related to trans-stilbene, but with two hydroxy groups on one of the phenyl substituents. It is very soluble in many organic solvents, such as acetone.
Acer maximowiczianum, is a species of maple widely distributed in China and Japan.
Kaempferia galanga, commonly known as kencur, aromatic ginger, sand ginger, cutcherry, is a monocotyledonous plant in the ginger family, and one of four plants called galangal. It is found primarily in open areas in Indonesia, southern China, Taiwan, Cambodia, and India, but is also widely cultivated throughout Southeast Asia.
A curcuminoid is a linear diarylheptanoid, a relatively small class of plant secondary metabolites that includes curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin, all isolated from turmeric. These compounds are natural phenols and produce a pronounced yellow color that is often used to color foods and medicines. Curcumin is obtained from the root of turmeric.
Echinomycin is a peptide antibiotic. It is a dimer of two peptides creating a cyclic structure. It contains a bicyclic aromatic chromophore that is attached to the dimerized cyclic peptide core and a thioacetal bridge. It intercalates into DNA at two specific sites, thereby blocking the binding of hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha (HIF1alpha).
Pristinamycin IIA is a macrolide antibiotic. It is a member of the streptogramin A group of antibiotics and one component of pristinamycin. Pristinamycin IIA was first isolated from the Streptomyces virginiae, but has been isolated from other microorganisms and thus has been given a variety of other names such as Virginiamycin M1, Mikamycin A, and Streptogramin A. Pristinamycin IIA structure was determined by chemical and instrumental techniques, including X-ray crystallography. Pristinamycin IIA is of interest from a biosynthetic viewpoint because it contains the unusual dehydroproline and oxazole ring systems. The only experimental evidence bearing on the formation of the oxazole ring is found in work on the biosynthesis of the alkaloid annuloline.
Pinitol is a cyclitol, a cyclic polyol. It is a known anti-diabetic agent isolated from Sutherlandia frutescens leaves. Gall plant tannins can be differentiated by their content of pinitol. It was first identified in the sugar pine. It is also found in other plants, such as in the pods of the carob tree.
Engeletin is a flavanonol rhamnoside, a phenolic compound found in wine and isolated from the bark of Hymenaea martiana.
Asterric acid is a fungal metabolite that can inhibit endothelin binding, first isolated from Aspergillus terreus. Its derivatives and similar phenolic fungal isolates are a subject of research on anti-angiogenic compounds.
Myricanone is a cyclic diarylheptanoid isolated from the bark of Myrica rubra (Myricaceae).
Ostryopsis nobilis is a shrub species in the genus Ostryopsis found in China. It is an endemic Chinese medicinal plant. It forms thickets on sunny mountain slopes between 1500 and 3000 m. It is found in South West Sichuan and North West Yunnan.
1,7-Bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,4,6-heptatrien-3-one is a natural product, a curcuminoid antioxidant found in turmeric and torch ginger.
Juglans hopeiensis, also known as Ma walnut, is a species of walnut native to northern Hebei Province. Some scholars believe that the species is a hybrid of Juglans regia and Juglans mandshurica. Currently, it is a threatened tree species.
Rosemary Margaret Smith (1933–2004) was a Scottish botanist and illustrator who specialized in the taxonomy of the Zingiberaceae, or ginger family. Many of the species she classified and identified as being placed into improper genera were found in Asian countries, especially in the isolated island of Borneo.
