Curcumin (Curcuma Longa), an extract of the rhizome turmeric, has been used for centuries in the diets and traditional medicines of both Asian and Indian cultures and today remains a popular dietary spice worldwide. Curcumin has a diverse array of favourable properties including its capacity as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticarcinogen. Furthermore, curcumin has generally been demonstrated to have low toxicity and is capable of crossing the blood brain barrier. However, this hydrophobic molecule displays low bioavailability, which is a particular challenge for treatment of central nervous system disorders. In spite of this limitation, the administration of curcumin has been shown to be effective in the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, stroke and tardive dyskinesia, as well as other brain disorders such as multiple sclerosis, depression, and brain tumours. While curcumin's diverse mechanisms of action in the treatment of disease continue to be an enigma, its therapeutic usefulness and cost effectiveness make it a particularly valuable compound. This chapter summarizes our current understanding of the implications of curcumin in the central nervous system. © 2012 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.