| Latin Name : Curcuma longa
Turmeric is also known as Curcumin and Indian Saffron.
It is called Haldi in India
Turmeric is a perennial herbaceous plant native to South Asia including India.  |
| Fresh Termeric : |
Turmeric may be the most effective nutritional supplement in existence.
Many high quality studies show that it has major benefits for your body and brain.
Here are the top 10 evidence-based health benefits of turmeric.
1. Turmeric Contains Bioactive Compounds With Powerful Medicinal Properties
Turmeric is the spice that gives
curry its yellow color.
It has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb.
Recently, science has started to back up what the Indians have known
for a long time… it really does contain compounds with medicinal
properties (
1).
These compounds are called curcuminoids, the most important of which is
curcumin.
Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.
However, the curcumin content of turmeric is not that high… it’s around 3%, by weight (
2).
Most of the studies on this herb are using turmeric extracts that
contain mostly curcumin itself, with dosages usually exceeding 1 gram
per day. It would be very difficult to reach these levels just using the
turmeric spice in your foods.
Therefore, if you want to experience the full effects, then you need to take an
extract that contains significant amounts of curcumin.
Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. It helps to consume black pepper with it, which contains
piperine… a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2000% (
3).
I personally prefer to swallow a few whole peppercorns along with my curcumin supplement, in order to enhance absorption.
Curcumin is also fat soluble, so it may be a good idea to take it with a fatty meal.
Bottom Line: Turmeric is high in
curcumin, a substance with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant
properties. Most studies used turmeric extracts that are standardized to
include large amounts of curcumin.
2. Curcumin is a Natural Anti-Inflammatory Compound
Inflammation is incredibly important.
It helps the body fight foreign invaders and also has a role in repairing damage.
Without inflammation, pathogens like bacteria could easily take over our bodies and kill us.
Although acute (short-term) inflammation is beneficial, it can become
a major problem when it is chronic (long-term) and inappropriately
deployed against the body’s own tissues.
It is now believed that chronic, low-level inflammation plays a major
role in almost every chronic, Western disease. This includes heart
disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and various
degenerative conditions (
4,
5,
6).
Therefore, anything that can help fight chronic inflammation is of
potential importance in preventing and even treating these diseases.
It turns out that curcumin is
strongly anti-inflammatory, it is so powerful that it matches the effectiveness of some anti-inflammatory drugs (
7).
Curcumin actually targets multiple steps in the inflammatory pathway, at the molecular level.
Curcumin blocks
NF-kB,
a molecule that travels into the nuclei of cells and turns on genes
related to inflammation. NF-kB is believed to play a major role in many
chronic diseases (
8,
9).
Without getting into the gory details (inflammation is
extremely complicated), the key takeaway here is that curcumin is a bioactive substance that fights inflammation at the molecular level (
10,
11,
12).
In several studies, its potency has compared favorably to
anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical drugs… except without the side effects (
13,
14).
Bottom Line: Chronic inflammation is
known to be a contributor to many common Western diseases. Curcumin can
inhibit many molecules known to play major roles in inflammation.
3. Turmeric Dramatically Increases The Antioxidant Capacity of The Body
Oxidative damage is believed to be one of the mechanisms behind ageing and many diseases.
It involves
free radicals, highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons.
Free radicals tend to react with important organic substances, such as fatty acids,
proteins or DNA.
The main reason antioxidants are so beneficial, is that they protect our bodies from free radicals.
Curcumin happens to be a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals due to its chemical structure (
15,
16).
But curcumin also boosts the activity of the body’s own antioxidant enzymes (
17,
18,
19).
In that way, curcumin delivers a one-two punch against free radicals.
It blocks them directly, then stimulates the body’s own antioxidant
mechanisms.
Bottom Line: Curcumin has powerful
antioxidant effects. It neutralizes free radicals on its own, then
stimulates the body’s own antioxidant enzymes.
4. Curcumin Boosts Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Linked to Improved Brain Function and a Lower Risk of Brain Diseases
Health Benefits :
· Activities of Fresh Turmeric include:
Antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor,
anti-allergic, antioxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, appetizer,
astringent, cardiovascular, digestive, diuretic, stimulant,
and vulnerary.
· Turmeric is known to be used medicinally for
ulcers, parasitic infections, various skin disorders, strains, bruises,
inflammation of the joints, food preservation process and
as a digestion aid.
· ·
Herbalists are familiar with its stimulant and tonic properties and
prescribe the juice extracted from the rhizome as an internal antiseptic
and antidote to blood poisoning.
· Ambe halad/haldi is an aromatic stimulant, tonic and carminative.
