Curcumin, derived from the rhizome curcuma longa, is one of the primary ingredients in turmeric and curry powders that are used as spices in the Indian subcontinent.

The major curcuminoids, curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin, occur naturally in these curcuma species. Curcumin, an active component of turmeric, is a yellow pigment that has been isolated from the ground rhizome part of the curcuma plant species, zingiberaceae.