Turmeric

Source=Root of the turmeric plant Curcuma domestica, a tropical plant related to ginger
Flavor=Pungent, somewhat bitter
Best used=Dried and ground
Cooking use=Curries, East Indian recipes. This is also the primary ingredient in American-style ("ballpark") mustard.

Turmeric aids digestion, relieves arthritis, treats dysentery, protects the liver, combats heart disease, wards off ulcers, prevents certain cancers.
A great deal of scientific research -- almost all of it Indian -- shows that turmeric aids digestion, prevents ulcers, protects the liver, helps prevent heart disease and may one day be used to treat cancer.
A relative of ginger, turmeric has held a place of honor in India's traditional Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. It was used as a digestive aid and treatment for fever, wounds, infections, dysentery, arthritis, jaundice and other liver problems. The Chinese adopted turmeric and used it similarly.
"Turmeric stimulates the flow of bile," says Pi-Kwang Tsung, Ph.D., former assistant professor of pathology at the University of Connecticut Medical School in Farmington and currently editor of The East-West Medical Digest. "This means it helps digest fats, confirming its traditional use as a digestive herb."
"Turmeric has strong liver-protective properties," agrees Bernie Olin, Pharm.D., editor of The Lawrence Review of Natural Products, a St. Louis-based newsletter that summarizes scientific research on medicinal herbs. If you drink alcohol regularly and/or take high doses of many pharmaceutical drugs -- including the common pain reliever acetaminophen (Tylenol) -- medical researchers say you may be at risk for liver damage. Using turmeric may offer a degree of protection.
The latest studies show that turmeric also protects the stomach lining and helps prevent ulcers, says Alan R. Gaby, M.D., a Baltimore physician who practices nutritional and natural medicine and is president of the American Holistic Medical Association.
Like most culinary herbs, turmeric helps retard food spoilage because it has antibacterial action. In laboratory tests, turmeric also fights protozoa-microbes that cause a multitude of human ills. These tests lend credence to the herb's traditional use in treating dysentery, which is caused by this type of microorganism.
Several medical studies now suggest that turmeric may also help prevent heart disease by lowering cholesterol and preventing the formation of the internal blood clots that trigger heart attack (and many strokes). These findings come from studies done with laboratory animals and cannot necessarily be applied to people. But turmeric is a tasty spice that does no harm, and these studies suggest it might do some real good.