Chemistry and Biomedical Applications of Cumin and Turmeric: A Review, Challenge and Perspective

Since time immemorial, natural products have found applications for the treatment of many maladies and ailments. This review attempts to portray the chemistry, bio-medical activities and efficacy in the therapy of COVID-19 of one age-old famous spice cumin and an eminent herb turmeric. Both of them have found significant applications in the disciplines of Ayurveda for their physiological and nutraceutical benefits. It is worth mentioning that the versatility of cumin and turmeric in terms of treating a variety of ailments, as well as their antioxidant properties, has always piqued the curiosity of the scientific community. Even in recent times, both of them are being scrutinised for their response to the global pandemic, COVID-19. Thymoquinone, the most abundant constituent of black cumin has shown immense therapeutic potential. On the other hand, curcumin, an important bio-active component of turmeric owns a wide array of pharmacologic effects. The utilisation of curcumin-derived carbon quantum dots and nanoparticle bound curcumin, on the other hand, is a new field in nanomedicine. Having said all these things, a few challenges have been encountered regarding their uses as drug candidates. Several research papers for the past fifteen years have been consulted using online databases like Google Scholar, Scopus and PubMed to compose this article in the viewpoint of the promises and challenges of the active constituents of cumin and turmeric as potential drug candidates.