AbstractThe chemical composition of the essential oils from the rhizomes of fiveCurcumaspecies from Indonesia and India was examined by GC‐MS. The oils can be characterized by the following compounds:C. xanthorrhizaRoxb.:ar‐curcumene (41.4%), xanthorrhizol (21.5%);C. domesticaVal.:ar‐turmerone (24.7%), turmerone (29.5%), turmerol (20.0%), α‐atlantone (2.4%);C. aromaticaSalisb.:ar‐curcumene (18.6%), β‐curcumene (25.5%), xanthorrhizol (25.7%);C. aeruginosaRoxb.: isocurcumenol (8.5%), β‐eudesmol (6.5%), curdione (3.6%), curcumenol (9.9%), curcumanolides A,B (11.4%), dehydrocurdione (9.4%), curcumenone (1.9%);C. heyneanaVal.: 1,8‐cineole/limonene (14.2%), isocurcumenol (7.4%), β‐eudesmol (4.7%), curcumanolides A,B (13.1%), dehydrocurdione (10.2%