TURMERIC – the REAL Spice of Life
Yellow Powerfood!
If I had to chose just one herb spice to increase my well being and live a long healthy life it would be turmeric. It helps you when young, when middle aged, and in in old age. It helps both men and women for different reasons.
If a drug company could patent turmeric, it would be more popular and lucrative than Viagra and aspirin combined.
The short list of benefits shown in controlled scientific studies and long term population analysis includes prevention and treatment in:
• Inflammation
• Arthritis
• Cystic fibrocis
• Cancer
• Cardiovascular problems
• Cholesterol
• Alzimers desease
• Childhood Leukemia
• Liver function
• Skin conditions
Luckily, you don’t have to eat turmeric in a concentrated or medicinal form. You can buy it in any grocery store and it is very inexpensive. To take the traditional recommended amount which is about 1 teaspoon per day would cost you less than $10.00 for a whole year! That one teaspoon per day could change your life. It has been harvested and used for over 5000 years.
The thing you notice right away about turmeric is its bright yellow colour. This is what gives the traditional curry spice it’s colour but also is the colouring of mustard and many other prepared and preserved foods like pickes, salad dressing, cheeses and even textiles. Most curry blends and prepared foods have minimal amounts of turmeric in them though so if you want the health benefits you should go for the straight powder.
Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic systems of medicine have used turmeric as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat a wide variety of conditions, including flatulence, jaundice, menstrual difficulties, bloody urine, hemorrhage, toothache, bruises, chest pain, and colic.
Curcumin, thought to be the primary pharmacological agent in turmeric, has been shown to be a more potent anti-inflammatory than prescription drugs like hydrocortisone and phenylbutazone as well as over-the-counter anti-inflammatory agents such as Motrin but WITHOUT TOXIC SIDE EFFECTS.
Curcumin may provide an inexpensive, well-tolerated, and effective treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis.
Turmeric’s combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects explains why many people with joint disease find relief from arthritis when they use the spice regularly.
Curcumin’s powerful antioxidant actions plus its ability to alter the genetic expression of certain proteins are possible factors in its demonstrated ability to prevent and even treat cancer in as shown in controlled experiments on mice and large populations. Many more clinical studies are underway but traditional health systems have already been using turmeric for thousands of years.
Turmeric supports the liver in naturalizing toxins in the body. This is why it is known in traditional health systems as a purifier. It helps the liver clear away the LDL (bad) cholesterol and also prevents the oxidation of cholesterol in the system.
Research has shown that curcumin is able to cross the blood-brain barrier to reduce inflammation and specific damaging chemical aging processes. This is why it may prevent Alzheimer’s Disease.
Specially processed turmeric is used in India topically to produce healthy glowing skin and prevent facial hair growth in women. A different processed turmeric is also available which is rubbed into the skin so that it is absorbed directly into the blood stream and bypasses the digestions and liver functions which can slow it’s effects down.
The ONLY CAUTION with turmeric is that if you spill it on even a slightly porous surface it can stain. Wash immediately.
We will be posting several recipes with this spice it is so important.
Tumeric has also been known to have spiritual and ritualistic value in Eastern and near eastern cutures. (perhaps because of its obvious practical effects)
It is widely used in all parts of India during wedding ceremony.
11 Responses to “TURMERIC – the REAL Spice of Life”
Leave a Reply
A Revolutionary Simple Approach To Healthy Eating
Sounds great! Do you simply take a tsp. of tumeric in water or just straight?
Turmeric is one of my favourites in my dispensary and my kitchen. I use it in nearly all my cooking. As an herbalist I tend to dispense it in tincture form, but frequently make recommendations to my clients that they make a point of including it in their cooking. It can be used in capsule form too, and it is often recommended to take it with enzymes to improve its absorption and utilization. It also makes a great addition to Chai.
Thanks. As you can tell from my article – i like it too- a lot!
A full teaspoon in water might taste quite STRONG. If you can handle that – fine but it is traditionally taken with milk and sweetner. You can substitute almond or soy milk if you don’t eat dairy. The richness of the milk tempers the taste. Even with milk, a full teaspoon might be strong so you might have to break it into two glasses with 1/2 teaspoon each time.
This is great. I plan on using this daily and sharing the information with family!
Thank YOU!
It would be wonderful if you could share some recipes we could put it in instead of taking it by the spoonful. Do you or any of your readers know what it goes best in?
Some friends of a friend who wanted to see the horses were visiting from India and brought a picknic lunch for everyone. Their dishes were so spicy that I could barely eat them. They tasted good but the spices made me sweat!
After reading this I'm thinking that maybe I need those spices to drive more toxins out. The funny thing is I cook with tons of spices most people associate with Italian cooking and used to eat Szechuan Chinese dishes that were really spicy but just can't eat Mexican hot sauces at all.
Hi Valerie
Everyone has different tolerance to the heat of spices depending upon their body type. You may be a 'fire' type that already has enough heat or your body OR as you said the cleansing my be good for you. The real heat from Indian spices often comes from the cayenne. It's hot! Many people can't take very much of this . But there are spices like tumeric, cumin and coriander which are sweet and warm and very good for you.
So here's a quick recipe: Mix half a teaspoon of any curry (which already has some tumeric) with half a teaspoon of tumeric and heat in a tablespoon of clarified butter (called ghee). The ghee drives the good effects of the spices deeper into the body. Use this to fry anything you wish - tofu slices with tamarie sauce, green peas or even scrambled eggs. Add enough salt at end.
Thank you for explaining that, Randy. I did not realize that Indian food used cayenne and I am particularly sensitive to it. I knew that because I don't do spicy Mexican food either. I'll have to try your recipe with fresh gathered eggs.
Whaaa Hello! Great work once again. I enjoy visiting your website because the writers often provide great posts. Informative blog post…I will bookmark this blog. I am going to subscribe to the websites feed as well.
I have had arthritis in my knee for years. My doctor has prescribed celebrex which I take very infequently only when I absolutely need it. Instead, I rely on tumeric taken in capsule form. It really does have anti-inflammatory properties and makes a huge difference.
(I also swim everyday which helps with the pain and stiffness).