Exploring the Health Benefits of Turmeric

"Turmeric", the yellow colored spice called Haldi, which leaves a stain hard to get rid of, is a well-known name is many Indian households. For more than 5,000 years, turmeric has been an important part of Eastern cultural traditions, including traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. Valued for its medicinal properties and warm, peppery flavor, this yellow-orange spice has more recently earned a name for itself in Western medicine as well. Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant, which is native to Indonesia and southern India, and is widely used as an ingredient in curry dishes and yellow mustard. But today, backed by a lot of research and undisputed proof, Turmeric has emerged as one of most powerful natural herbal medicine.

Turmeric has a broad spectrum of actions, mild but certain effects, and is beneficial for long term and daily usage. Though it is a common spice, few people, including herbalists know of its great value and are using it to the extent possible. A good friend shared this amazing article with me about the beneficial properties of Turmeric, so I thought I'd share it with my readers as well.

Strengthens and improves digestion

* Reduces gas and bloating
* Assists in the digestion of protein and with rice and bean dishes
* Improves your body's ability to digest fats
* Promotes proper metabolism, correcting both excesses and deficiencies
* Maintains and improves intestinal flora
* Improves elimination of wastes and toxins

Supports healthy liver function and detoxification

* Turmeric helps increase bile flow making it a liver cleanser that can rejuvenate your liver cells and recharge their capability to break down toxins
* Helps to prevent alcohol and other toxins from being converted into compounds that may be harmful to your liver
* Supports formation of healthy tissue

Purifies your blood
* Stimulates formation of new blood tissue
* Helps to reduce irritation to tissues characterized by pain, redness, swelling and heat
* Contains curcuminoids that fight cancer, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s, and counteract the damaging effects of free radicals in your body

Helps Alleviate Illnesses
* Relieve arthritis pain and stiffness, anti-inflammatory agent
* Anti-carcinogenic properties helps to prevent a large of number of cancers in animal studies.
* Laboratory data indicates that curcumin can inhibit tumor initiation, promotion, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis.
* Supports treatment of Alzheimer’s disease

Active Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Turmeric is known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties, which come from curcumin -- the pigment that gives turmeric its yellow-orange color, and which is thought to be responsible for many of its medicinal effects.

Cancer-Fighting Properties
* Inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells
* Inhibit the transformation of cells from normal to tumor
* Help your body destroy mutated cancer cells so they cannot spread throughout your body
* Decrease inflammation
* Enhance liver function
* Inhibit the synthesis of a protein thought to be instrumental in tumor formation
* Prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth

In addition to the above, evidence suggests that Turmeric is also beneficial to fight against some of the following ailments:
* Cystic fibrosis
* Type 2 diabetes
* Crohn’s disease
* Psoriasis
* Rheumatoid arthritis
* Cataracts
* Gallstones
* Muscle regeneration
* Inflammatory bowel disease

There you go, with so many useful properties, and abilities to fight against so many serious ailments, there should be no doubt in anyone's mind that Turmeric is indeed a great herb to include in your daily diet. I hope this post helps you make this change to your diet, a happy and beneficial transition.

Content Credit: This post has been adapted with permission from the original article written by Dr. Mercola as part of his Ayurvedic Research, in an attempt to spread awareness about Turmeric as a medicinal herb.