**9. Curcumin**

Curcumin is one of the most important curcuminoids found in *Curcuma longa*. Turmeric is the common name for it. Curcumin, also known as diferuloylmethane or 1,7-bis (4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione, is a polyphenolic phytoconstituent with a low molecular weight that occurs naturally [103, 104]. It is a member of the Zingiberaceae ginger family (chemically named diferuloyl methane). Turmeric has been used by the South Asians for treating diseases and skin problems since ancient times. In reality, it is a widely used spice and a staple in their diet [105, 106]. Curcumin is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent. It is also said to inhibit tumour growth to some degree. As a result, the scientific community has taken a keen interest in this material, and a significant number of experiments have been carried out with it for a variety of purposes. This is aided by the fact that curcumin is nontoxic when taken at a dose of 4 g/day for up to 120 days [107–109] (**Figure 4**).

Curcumin's pharmacological properties, including anti-inflammatory [111], antimicrobial [112], antiviral [113], anticancer [114], antioxidant [115], chemosensitizer [116], radiosensitizer [35], and wound healing activities [117, 118], indicate that it has potential in preclinical cell culture and animal studies. Topical usage of curcumin have been shown to enhance healing of wounds and protect tissues from oxidative damage by acting as an anti-inflammatory antioxidant (free radical scavenging activity), inducing detoxification enzymes, and providing defence against degenerative disease in patients [119, 120].

*Curcumin-Alginate Mixed Nanocomposite: An Evolving Therapy for Wound Healing DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.98830*

**Figure 4.** *Structure of curcumin (diferuloylmethane) [110].*
