Here we have the gorgeous `ōlena (turmeric) flower ((which can even be eaten as a vegetable))! ✨The leaves and root are most commonly used, medicinally and as flavoring agents. The whole plant is fantastically good for you. ✅ It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant. Hawaiians call it `ōlena. In English it is known as turmeric. In India, its likely origin, it is called haldi. Botanists call it Curcuma longa and it is in the same family as ginger and heliconia, the Zingiberaceae. It is an herbaceous plant that goes dormant in the winter season here in Hawaii. Like bananas, curcuma is a human-dependent plant. That is, it does not propagate by seeds but can only spread vegetatively. But it is easily propagated from the rhizomes, just like ginger.