From Sacred Hills to Your Kitchen: The Story of Lakadong Turmeric’s Premium Grade

They say great spices have stories. Lakadong turmeric’s story starts in lush meadows, steep slopes, tribal wisdom—and ends in your golden milk latte, or your curry that glows from the inside.

Lakadong is a small region in the West Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya, India. Blessed with rich soil, frequent rainfall, dappled sunlight, and farmers who have passed their turmeric seeds from parent to child, patch to patch for generations. Over time, nature & tradition combined resulted in a variety with remarkable chemical richness: high curcumin plus aromatic oils that give it a deep golden colour and earthiness. In March 2024, this premium turmeric finally got formal recognition: the GI (Geographical Indication) tag. Only Lakadong turmeric grown in that region, per certain quality norms, can now wear that title.

What Makes It Premium Grade

Curcumin Content:

             Lakadong often boasts 6.8-7.5% curcumin according to government and academic sources. Some reports walk between 9-12%, depending on the testing method. Either way, these numbers soar well above the common turmeric powders, which often have ~2-4% curcumin.

Purity & Organic Cultivation:

                 Many Lakadong farms use organic or low-chemical methods. This matters: synthetic fertilizers, adulteration, and over-drying all degrade curcumin and the spice’s aromatic oils.

Flavour, Aroma, Colour:

               Deep golden hue, strong earthiness, slightly pungent bite—that’s Lakadong. It tastes and looks rich even before science proves it.

Studies laid out the comparison:

           Lakadong vs regular varieties, curcumin more than 7% vs 2-4% common ones. Another scientific work, as in “Isolation of curcumin from Lakadong turmeric…”, not only isolated and purified Lakadong curcumin but also demonstrated wound-healing and anti-inflammatory activity in experimental models. Then there’s the government side: Meghalaya’s press release confirms GI tagging, specifying the premium grade and support for farmers.

When you use Lakadong in your kitchen, you’ll notice:

Brighter yellow/golden tones in dishes, even with smaller quantities

More aromatic power: that warm, herbal, slightly bitter perfume that regular turmeric often lacks

Depth of flavour: Lakadong doesn’t just “colour” the food; it layers taste

And health-wise, more curcumin means higher antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects per pinch. If you're doing golden milk, tonics, or using turmeric for skin, it matters.

Lakadong turmeric is more than a spice. It’s a union of geography, heritage, chemistry & flavour. From sacred hills of Meghalaya to your kitchen ladle: every time you use it, you tap into centuries of cultivation and scores of grams of scientific evidence. Premium here isn’t just price—it’s potency, purity, identity. Use it wisely, taste it deeply.