Curcuma zedoaria Identity & Plant Part
The botanical entity is Curcuma zedoaria (Christm.) Roscoe, zedoary or white turmeric, a perennial of the Zingiberaceae with large lance-shaped leaves and a thick, aromatic rhizome that is pale yellow to cream inside. The part used is the rhizome. Leaves, flowering shoots and the fibrous roots are not part of this ingredient.
Several Curcuma species share the trade world and are easy to confuse. Common turmeric is Curcuma longa, which is orange and curcuminoid-rich, and the Chinese herb e zhu comes from other Curcuma species. Zedoary rhizome carries a volatile oil rich in sesquiterpenes, together with starch and phenolic compounds, named only as families.
Curcuma zedoaria extract is made from the rhizome alone, and zedoary leaves are not used.












