Turmeric is a spice in ginger family. It has been used in Asia for thousands of years and is a major part of Siddha medicine(considered as the oldest medical system known to mankind).
Main active ingredient in turmeric is curcumin, that is an important part of medicinal property compounds called curcuminoids.
Curcumin is a very powerful antioxidant and has strong anti inflammatory properties. However, it’s content in turmeric it’s very low, so just using a spice in your food is not enough. Another hindering fact is that curcumin is poorly absorbed into your blood stream, but luckily it was proven that black pepper increases it’s absorption as well as fat (since curcumin is fat soluble spice).
It’s recommended taking pills that have curcumin as a main ingredient with added black pepper. One gram of curcumin a day is efficient, unless you are looking to fix an existing medical issue. For example, John Hopkins hospital has been conducting research on cancer patients and their recommendation for those patients is 5 grams a day.
Not to bore you further with the description of curcumin let’s proceed to benefits you can gain from it
1.Anti-inflammatory benefits
Although inflammation in our body is important for short term defense helping us fend of bacteria, long term inflammation can cause wide range of diseases destroying our own tissues. It’s now believed that long term inflammation plays a major role in multitude of chronic diseases (from heart disease, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s, various degenerative conditions to cancer).
Therefore, curcumin as an strong anti-inflammatory is of outmost importance in preventing and even treating these diseases. Curcumin works on a molecular level by blocking NF-kB( a molecule that travels into the nuclei of cells and turns on inflammatory genes). In essence, it is a bioactive substance that works as well as anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical drugs without side effects.
2.Antioxidant benefits
Oxidative damage caused by free radicals in our body is part of aging, but also as inflammation to much of free radicals cause DNA mutation on cellular level( especially susceptible mitochondrial DNA), making us sick. For more on mt DNA refer to my previous blog “Repair Mitochondria With Right Nutrition”.
Antioxidants are so beneficial, because they protect our bodies from free radicals. Curcumin neutralize free radicals due to its chemical structure and at the same time boosting the activity of the body’s own antioxidant enzymes.
3. Bosting and protecting brain
Curcumin can increase brain levels of BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor). BDNF is main driver hormone in neurons capability of forming new connections and multiply, increasing in number. Alzheimer’s disease and depression are only a few of brain disorders linked to decreased levels of this hormone. Use of curcumin may improve memory, be effective at reversing and delaying many brain diseases and age-related decreases in brain function. Inflammation and oxidative damage play a role in Alzheimer’s disease. As we know, curcumin has beneficial effects on both as well as help clear Amyloid plaques. Amyloid plaques are a protein tangles that builds up in Alzheimer’s disease.
4. Lovering risk of heart disease
Curcumin may help reverse many steps in the cardio vascular disease process. In this case, the main benefit of curcumin is improving the function of the lining of the blood vessels (endothelium). The endothelium regulate blood pressure, blood clotting and various other factors, endothelial disfunction is inability to do so making it a mayor problem in heart disease. Curcumin leads to improvements in endothelialis , some studies have shown that it works as well as the drug Atorvastatin and wait you gonna like this, it is as effective as exercise!!! Also important in heart health are curcumins anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, showing 65% less chance of a heart attack in hospitals after heart surgery.
5. Treating and preventing cancer
Some forms of cancer appear to be affected by curcumin supplementation by inhibiting growth, development and spread at the molecular level. Studies have shown that it can reduce angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels in tumors), metastasis (spread of cancer), as well as contributing to the death of cancerous cells. John Hopkin’s hospital study stated that cancerous cell literally commit suicide when introduced to curcumin. Taking high-dose curcumin (preferably with an absorption enhancer like pepper) can help treat cancer in humans. Studies are still ongoing and yet to be published as such.
6. Arthritis
I think this is self explanatory. Arthritis is an inflammation of your joints so as potent anti-inflammatory compound, curcumin works as well as anti-inflammatory drugs.
7. Longevity
If curcumin can help age related diseases then it can definitely help aging.
Summary:
Curcumin helps Arthritis, Alzheimer’s, Depression, Heart disease, Cancer, Kidneys, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Psoriasis, Multiple Sclerosis and many other chronic and autoimmune diseases. Also helps speeding up wound healing and aid in fat metabolism helping weight management.
So why don’t try it. It sure can’t hurt!!!