Turmeric – The “King” of All Spices – Alternative Healing and Health

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Turmeric is a powerful spice which is part of the ginger family and has an impressive list of uses and benefits. It’s known for its antioxidant content and ability to work as an anti-inflammatory. This golden spice is used for its color and earthy flavor in culinary recipes around the world. Modern medicine also recognizes its health benefits and it has been used extensively in natural and folk medicine for centuries.

Reported health benefits of turmeric include relief from joint pain, such as rheumatoid arthritis, reduced joint swelling, and greater range of motion when used regularly. Research also suggests that turmeric may be helpful in treating inflammatory bowel diseases, lowering cholesterol counts, protecting the heart, relieving indigestion, improving liver function, and even preventing Alzheimer’s disease. Cancer prevention and inhibited cancer cell growth – specifically cancer of the breast, colon, prostate, and lung, and childhood leukemia are also on the list of possible benefits.

Essential Vitamins and Nutrients Naturally Found in Turmeric:

Vitamin C
Vitamins B-1, B-2, B-3
Calcium
Manganese
Phosphorous
Potassium
Zinc
Other phytonutrients

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Here Are Just Some of the Health Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, useful in disinfecting cuts and burns.
When combined with cauliflower, turmeric has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer.
Prevented breast cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice.
It may prevent melanoma and cause existing melanoma cells to commit suicide.
Reduces the risk of childhood leukemia.
Turmeric is a natural liver detoxifier.
Turmeric may prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by removing amyloyd plaque buildup in the brain.
It may prevent metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer.
Turmeric is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side effects.
Has shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.
Turmeric is a natural painkiller and cox-2 inhibitor.
May aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management.
Has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression.
Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric is a natural treatment for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
It boosts the effects of chemo drug paclitaxel and reduces its side effects.
Promising studies are underway on the effects of turmeric on pancreatic cancer.
Studies are ongoing in the positive effects of turmeric on multiple myeloma.
Turmeric has been shown to stop the growth of new blood vessels in tumors.
It speeds up wound healing and assists in remodeling of damaged skin.
Turmeric may help in the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.
Curcumin seems to delay liver damage that can eventually lead to cirrhosis, according to preliminary experimental research at the Medical University Graz in Austria.
Kansas State University research found that adding certain spices, including turmeric, can reduce the levels of heterocyclic amines — carcinogenic compounds that are formed when meats are barbecued, boiled or fried — by up to 40 percent.
Rodent studies at the University of Texas indicate that curcumin inhibits the growth of a skin cancer, melanoma and also slows the spread of breast cancer into the lungs.
Researchers from the University of South Dakota have found that pretreatment with curcumin makes cancer cells more vulnerable to chemo and radiotherapy.
Epidemiologists have hypothesized that the turmeric that is part of daily curries eaten in India may help explain the low rate of Alzheimer’s disease in that country. Among people aged 70 to 79, the rate is less than one-quarter that of the United States. (Source: Dr. Andrew Weil)

Studies Done on Turmeric

One study noted that curcumin, the major component of the spice turmeric, has several therapeutic effects, one being the inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. Curcumin was studied against triple-negative breast cancer, which scientists noted has a poor prognosis, after which researchers concluded that curcumin may be able to inhibit the proliferation of TNBC cells, possibly due to a change in the signaling pathway of the cancer’s underlying molecular mechanism. Turmeric extracts were also tested and found to have skin-improving properties. In one study, extracts of turmeric were used on ultraviolet radiation-damaged skin for six weeks. Scientists reported improvements in skin hydration and sebum content, along with possibilities that similar creams could be used in future photoprotective formulations. In another study, an ethanol extract of turmeric and curcumin ointment were found to produce significant pain relief in patients with external cancerous lesions.

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