Turmeric is a spice with strong medicinal properties. Used for thousands of years as a traditional ingredient in Asian cooking and herbal medicine, the long list of turmeric benefits is now becoming increasingly well known in western culture.
Turmeric is a member of the ginger family. Its use was first noted in India over 4000 years ago and later began appearing in China.
Both in food and especially in its medicinal uses, turmeric is fast becoming a shining star in the world of natural health.
Turmeric Health Benefits
Based on solid evidence, turmeric has been demonstrated to have excellent health benefits including, being an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, a cancer preventer and potential treatment for certain types, a heart disease preventer, a potential treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease, and has shown benefits for both depression and Arthritis sufferers.
Turmeric appears to have anti-microbial effects, which means it can kill off some bacteria and fungi that cause common infections like candidiasis and ringworm.
Turmeric Does Not Absorb Well
An important point that should be made right away is despite all its potential health benefits, turmeric is hard for the human body to absorb. It’s doubtful you can get anywhere near the amount you should for health only through your diet. Most of the turmeric we eat does not get absorbed into the body but tends to pass straight through us without imparting all the good stuff.
There are a few ways to help improve this. One is eating hot food (temperature hot, not spice hot). The heat helps make turmeric more absorbable by our digestive systems. Adding pepper to your food is also important as a compound found in pepper (Piperine) helps raise our body’s ability to absorb turmeric by as much as 2000%.
Turmeric Supplements Are Often The Best Way To Improve Your Turmeric Intake
By far the best way to get the benefits of turmeric is to take a supplement with some form of Piperine added. This will drastically increase your body’s ability to absorb turmeric and gain all the benefits. Click here to find out more about the amazing health benefits of the best turmeric supplements.
Turmeric supplements are available over the counter in most countries. They are commonly marketed towards people who want to improve their health.
There are no known turmeric side effects, but there may be some turmeric drug interactions with other medications that you take if you have any pre-existing conditions. As with any supplement, if you have any doubts, check with your doctor or pharmacist before you take them.
Turmeric is comprised of different compounds. Some of which have excellent health benefits for humans as listed above and even for domestic animals like dogs and cats. These compounds are called curcuminoids and by far the most important of them is curcumin.
Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It makes up approximately 3 % of the turmeric plant and has the powerful anti-inflammatory effects associated with turmeric and is a naturally strong antioxidant. Mostly because of curcumin, some health experts rate turmeric as the most important spice in the world.
Curcumin yields a bright, yellow-colored essential oil, which is what gives turmeric its distinctive flavor and color. Curcumin is turmeric’s most active compound. First noticed for its anti-inflammatory properties, as noted above, it’s now known to have many other benefits.
Turmeric can also be used topically to treat various skin conditions such as psoriasis and acne.
Drinking Turmeric Tea
Drinking turmeric as a tea was first noted in Malaysia. Turmeric tea is popular among people throughout Southeast Asia because of its health benefits, especially its anti-inflammatory properties. These properties can help relieve joint pains brought about by diseases like arthritis and rheumatism. Some studies also show turmeric’s potential in preventing liver damage (cirrhosis).
To Wrap It All Up
Turmeric is a spice with strong medicinal properties. Used for thousands of years as a traditional ingredient in Asian cooking and herbal medicine, the long list of turmeric benefits is now becoming increasingly well known in western culture. Based on solid evidence, turmeric has been demonstrated to have excellent health benefits including, being an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, a cancer preventer and potential treatment for certain types (including breast cancer), heart disease preventer (in diabetics), possible Alzheimer’s Disease treatment or depression treatment may be helped by taking turmeric supplements daily. Adding it to your diet might help improve your health!
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