Turmeric - the superfood that is recommended as a supplement through capsules or shots and as an extra spice in cooking for its healthy effects. But how useful is it really? And what benefits does it have?
Turmeric belongs to the family of ginger plants and is acclaimed for its good health properties. It has a history of almost 4,000 years of medical use mainly in southeast Asia within Unani and Ayurvedic medicine. Among other things, it is good for curbing inflammation, improving digestion and alleviating skin disorders according to Ayurvedic teachings, but the benefits extend much further than that.
There are plenty of scientific studies that can confirm many of the health properties of this powerful and beneficial spice. Important to note is that turmeric should be taken with piperine, a substance found in e.g. black pepper. Namely, piperine increases the uptake capacity of turmeric by about 2000%. For easy ingestion of turmeric, you can use capsules that also contain piperine or mix turmeric and black pepper yourself.
What is Turmeric?
You may recognize the word tumeric or turmeric as it is called in Swedish. Turmeric is a member of the ginger family and is a native plant in countries in southern Asia. It grows best in tropical climates and requires between 20-30 ° C and plenty of rain to thrive. It is a popular spice grown for both culinary and medical purposes.
The primary part of the plant used is the part called the rootstock or rhizome. The rootstock is the part of the plant that grows underground just like ginger and peas. The spice turmeric which is purchased in powder form in the grocery store is produced by boiling the root stock and then letting it dry. The rootstock is then ground down and packaged.
Turmeric use in Ayurveda
Turmeric has a historical field of use in Ayurvedic medicine that extends 4000 years back in time. Within Ayurveda, the plant is attributed to several medicinal properties and is used to treat a variety of ailments.
Health Benefits of Turmeric
- Strengthen the overall energy of the body
- Unmasking, clearing out parasites
- Improve digestion
- Regulate menstruation
- Dissolve gallstones
- Relieve arthritis
- Treatment of respiratory problems (asthma and allergies)
- Relieve cold symptoms
- Treatment of liver diseases
- Reduce swelling
- Treatment of rheumatism
- Several countries in southern Asia use turmeric to reduce the growth of bacteria in the treatment of cuts, burns and bruises.
Turmeric can be used as an anti-inflammatory agent and as a cure for stomach upset associated with IBS and other digestive disorders. Its cleansing effect can also help clear out parasites and other bacteria that can disrupt digestion and cause unpleasant stomach upset.
Therefore, turmeric is useful!
There are many scientific studies that look more closely at the alleged health properties of turmeric and more specifically the substance of curcumin. There is no doubt that turmeric is good for your health and there are plenty of studies to confirm this.
Turmeric contains substances with very good healing properties Curcumin is the substance attributed to many of the turmeric's health properties. What characterizes turmeric is the dark yellow color that comes from the very subject of curcumin. Curcumin has powerful anti-inflammatory effects that can, among other things, protect against certain forms of cancer by regulating the process of programmed cell death.
Has good anti-inflammatory properties most studies show good anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric and more specifically the substance curcumin. By taking turmeric regularly, it can help curb chronic inflammation and thus also prevent certain types of cancer. Is a powerful antioxidant Oxidative stress and free radicals are believed to be behind aging and many disease states such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Can prevent and counter Alzheimer's
A growing body of evidence suggests that oxidative stress, free radicals, amyloid plaque build-up, and abnormal inflammatory reactions may contribute to the onset of Alzheimer's disease. Oxidative stress causes degradation of neurons in the brain which is a potential cause behind Alzheimer's but also other neurological disorders such as Parkinson's. curcumin has been shown to slow down the breakdown of neurons and patients who have ingested it have a better overall memory. In one study, researchers found that curcumin can also help the immune system by strengthening the macrophages, part of the immune system, to clear up the accumulated amyloid plaque in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease.
Can prevent and prevent cancer
There are several studies that look more closely at turmeric and curcumin as a potential tool for the prevention and prevention of cancer. In addition to the anti-inflammatory properties that can help prevent cancer, turmeric has several other inhibitory properties.
Turmeric helps counteract inflammation of the joints and can help with arthritis There are several different types of arthritis but most involve some kind of inflammation in the joints. Since curcumin is good at curbing inflammation, it is logical that it can also help with arthritis.
Are characteristics that counteract depression curcumin has been shown to be effective against depression. This was shown in a study of 60 people comparing the use of curcumin with the antidepressant drug prozac. [source] In the study, the 60 people were divided into 3 groups. One group was treated with 1 gram of curcumin, the other group with prozac and the third with both prozac and curcumin. The result showed that curcumin is just as effective in counteracting depression as an antidepressant drug. Although this was a small study, the results are, to say the least, promising.