Turmeric powder is made from the dried and finely ground rhizome of the turmeric plant (Curcuma longa), a member of the ginger family native to South Asia. Used for thousands of years in Indian, Southeast Asian, and Middle Eastern cooking, turmeric contributes a warm, earthy flavor and deep golden color to curries, soups, rice dishes, sauces, and beverages.

Turmeric contains a family of yellow-orange polyphenols called curcuminoids, including curcumin, demethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin. Curcumin is the most extensively studied of these compounds and is responsible for much of turmeric’s distinctive color and biological activity. Turmeric powder also provides manganese, iron, fiber, aromatic oils, and numerous other plant compounds that work together within the whole spice. Research on concentrated curcumin supplements cannot always be applied directly to the smaller amounts found in culinary turmeric, but regularly including turmeric in meals can contribute to a diverse, polyphenol-rich eating pattern.