Thought I'd post a picture of a turmeric root. We had not seen this before, yet all the farmers markets offered them for sale. We finally asked about them to learn what they are. Turns out it is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial here in the tropics. It is a native of India and the dry powder is used extensively in Indian cooking. Healthwise it is an anti-inflammatory and may have benefits for various inflammatory diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases, and arthritis. Some studies assert it's use in helping control various cancers and other diseases. Still, a great deal of study and professional consultations should be undertaken prior to using it, especially while taking prescription meds. One thing we found was drinking the ground and boiled rhizomes as a tea, it tends to react with certain drugs and can raise body heat so we stopped drinking it.
The Farmers Markets are so interesting here. The best one is at Hilo, they get much more rain so everything grows so lushly, but even Kona side produces some decent vegetables and fruits! many of which we have not seen before! and lots of fresh oriental varieties of greens.
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