Curcumin – a universal cure?

For some time now I’ve heard great things about curcumin, the substance found in turmeric. It’s cancer prevention abilities were even mentioned during one of my classes. Intrigued, I decided to do some research and see what else curcumin is good for.

Sure enough I found an article that looked at about 300 scientific studies focused on curcumin. What they found was amazing: not only does curcumin help treat a variety of illnesses, but also its curative effects come with no side effects. Curcumin does this mostly by reducing inflammation and through antioxidant effect.

The diseases that were positively affected by curcumin included atherosclerosis, diabetes, cancer, asthma, and hepatic, pancreatic, gastric and intestinal diseases. Even though most of the experiments discussed in the article were conducted on animals, the results are promising, especially since the scientists noticed no side effects even with big doses – something that is difficult to achieve with conventional medicine.¹

To look outside of modern science, the ancient wisdom of Ayurveda has also utilized curcumin infused turmeric for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Turmeric is part of many herbal mixtures in the treatment of numerous conditions, like rashes, and it is also used as an antibiotic. It can even help heal a sore throat. For the treatment of a sore throat, Ayurveda recommends to mix ½ a teaspoon of turmeric and salt each in a cup of hot water and use it as a gargle in the morning and in the evening. (The water shouldn’t be so hot as to burn your throat.)² I have tried this and it seems to have a soothing effect.

So not necessarily a cure for everything (actually, we don’t know that yet as science takes time), but it's useful in a multitude of ways nevertheless!

In light of the great health benefits of turmeric, adding it into the diet sounds enticing. It is quite easy to do – one can simply drink a mixture of the yellow powder with water, or add it as a spice in every day cooking. It is especially great in Indian style recipes; in fact, it is one of the ingredients of curry powder. This gives you a great reason to enjoy your favorite Indian curry, too!

I hope you have enjoyed my post – feel free to request topics for me to discuss, I would love that!

Love,

Anna-Kaisa

References:

1.       Bengmark, Stig MD, PhD, FRACS (hon), FRCPS (hon). “Curcumin, An Atoxic Antioxidant and Natural NFκB, Cyclooxygenase-2, Lipooxygenase, and Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitor: A Shield Against Acute and Chronic Diseases.” Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2006 vol. 30. Pages 45-51. doi: 10.1177/014860710603000145. Web. April 1 2015.

2.       Lad, Vasant BAMS MASc. The Complete Book of Ayervedic Home Remedies. New York: Harmony Books. 1998. Print.