Natural stains Zingiber officinale Roscoe (ginger) and Curcuma longa L. (turmeric) – A substitute to eosin

BACKGROUND: Stained slides are of the utmost source of information in pathology. The routine stains utilize synthetic dyes which pose various health hazards which necessitate the importance of natural extracts as a histological stain. AIMS: The aim of this study is to compare the efficacy of ginger and turmeric extracts as histological dyes in tissues keeping eosin as standard. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to compare the staining potential, intensity, specificity, and shelf life of ginger and termuric extract dyes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Extracts of fresh rhizomes of Zingiber officinale Roscoe and Curcuma longa L. were obtained by dissolving them in alcohol, which was used to stain sections of 25 cases. Observer 1 compared the staining intensity, while observers 2 and 3 assessed preset parameters at regular intervals and subjected to Kappa statistics and Mann–Whitney U-test. RESULTS: Z. officinale and C. longa solutions had pH 4–5 and temperature 24°C–27°C. Z. officinale showed better staining intensity and specificity to the cytoplasm and basic components of connective tissue as compared to C. longa. Crispness (P = 0.01) and background staining (P = 0.05) showed a significant difference. Shelf life of Z. officinale was better than C. longa. CONCLUSION: Z. officinale gave a better staining than C. longa and was found to be closest to eosin and is easily available, cost-effective and biodegradable.