How can a spice be a superfood? Why does Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Nicholas Perricone, and Oprah all praise this little spice best known for seasoning up curry dishes and making our well known hot dog topping, mustard, yellow? It is one of the best natural anti-inflammatories you can consume right next to ginger! And in fact, it is part of the ginger family. It is Turmeric!
It has an interesting history, dating back 4000 years used as a coloring for fabric, paper, wood, skin and food. It was first used by the Vedic culture in India as a culinary spice for religious ceremonies. It was used as a substitute for the very expensive saffron spice, even though it is not in the same family of spices strictly because it was both yellow and cheap! Medicinally it has been used by ayurvedic physicians to treat gastrointestinal and inflammatory ailments as well as applied topically to enhance skin health and tone. Topical ointments have been used in India to “treat joint pain, bruises, and a variety of skin disorders including infections, inflammation, blemishes, wounds, acne, boils, burns and eczema.” (Dr. Nicholas Perricone, The Perricone Promise
One of the special components of turmeric that is the antioxidant wonder is curcumin, which scientist refer to as curcuminoids. Curduminoids may prevent oxidation of blood fats better than synthetic antioxidant BHT based on test tube studies. Turmeric also contains a peptide called turmerine, a free-radical scavenger. And in studies where animals were fed curcuminoids, they found higher blood levels of glutathione-S-transferase, a key player in the body’s detoxification system.
What I found even more remarkable is that James A Duke, PhD, a highly respected ethnobotanist, identified turmeric as a better solution to preventing and alleviating serious diseases of Alzheimer’s, Arthritis, and Cancer than traditional pharmaceuticals!
* Alzheimer’s disease: Duke found more than 50 studies on turmeric’s effects in addressing Alzheimer’s disease. The reports indicate that extracts of turmeric contain a number of natural agents that block the formation of beta-amyloid, the substance responsible for the plaques that slowly obstruct cerebral function in Alzheimer’s disease.
* Arthritis: Turmeric contains more than two dozen anti-inflammatory compounds, including six different COX-2-inhibitors (the COX-2 enzyme promotes pain, swelling and inflammation; inhibitors selectively block that enzyme). By itself, writes Duke, curcumin – the component in turmeric most often cited for its healthful effects – is a multifaceted anti-inflammatory agent, and studies of the efficacy of curcumin have demonstrated positive changes in arthritic symptoms.
* Cancer: Duke found more than 200 citations for turmeric and cancer and more than 700 for curcumin and cancer. He noted that in the handbook Phytochemicals: Mechanisms of Action, curcumin and/or turmeric were effective in animal models in prevention and/or treatment of colon cancer, mammary cancer, prostate cancer, murine hepatocarcinogenesis (liver cancer in rats), esophageal cancer, and oral cancer. Duke said that the effectiveness of the herb against these cancers compared favorably with that reported for pharmaceuticals. Dr. Andrew Weil, DrAndrewWeil.com
There is so much more information about the significant value of turmeric on the body that I could practically write a book! But I can’t, Pam and I already are busy doing just that! Bottom line, you want to add turmeric to your spice rack and USE it!! Our curry recipe is just one of the many recipes available that use this spice. Google it and get cooking!
