Turmeric grows wild in the forests of South and Southeast Asia. It's one of the key ingredients in many Pakistani, Indian, Persian and Thai dishes and has incredible medicinal value, too.
Here are some of the benefits when ingested with your food as a spice:
- It is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, useful in disinfecting cuts and burns.
- When combined with cauliflower, it 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.
- It's 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.
- It 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.
- 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, it is a natural treatment for arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
- 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.
- Has been shown to stop the growth of new blood vessels in tumors.
- Speeds up wound healing and assists in remodeling of damaged skin.
- 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)
Here's how to use turmeric!
1. Spice up your food.
Add this spice to anything, besides sweets, for a new flavor and a ton of health benefits. You can use turmeric to add some zest to cooked vegetables, eggs, and meat dishes. You can also add it to boiling water you're using to make pasta, rice, soups, and more.
2. Drink it as a tea.
Bring four cups of water to a boil. Add one teaspoon of ground turmeric and reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Strain the tea through a fine sieve into a cup, add honey and/or lemon to taste.
3. Use a turmeric supplement.
I like to take a tumeric supplements a day in case I am traveling and am unable to cook with it.
Here is a great source to purchase organic tumeric from here.
4. Mix it with castor oil for a skin detox.
Castor oil with tumeric powder is a powerful toxin releaser for your skin. For women, it is great to apply to the breast and under arm because it will pull out harmful toxins from the lymph nodes and fat cells of the breast.
Photo Credit: Shutterstock