8 Magical Health Benefits Of Turmeric/Haldi

There's a reason better than the bright yellow color to use turmeric in your food everyday. It's great for your health! Vastly used in the Indian, Persian and Thai cuisine in making your food both sweet and savoury, turmeric or haldi is also recommended for medical use and by ayurveda. This spice contains a chemical called curcumin that has a truckload of health benefits, particularly anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative. It is important though to include black pepper also in your diet, since curcumin is not very easily absorbed in the blood stream without it.

Here are 8 health benefits of this golden spice that will make you add it to your diet today:

1. Fights inflammation

Inflammation is a natural and essential function of our body to prevent pathogens from taking over control of our body. But chronic inflammation can be dangerous for our body's tissues. Curcumin, as a bioactive agent, targets the inflammatory pathways by blocking the NF-kB molecule, that is majorly responsible for degenerative and heart diseases.

2. Prevents cancer

Numerous studies show turmeric to be effective in fighting cancer. It can prevent breast cancer from spreading to the lungs, limit growth of skin and prostate cancer and even reduce the side effects of chemotherapy. Curcumin is beneficial in reducing the growth of new blood vessels in tumors and causing cancerous cells to commit suicide. In one particular study of 44 men with lesions in the colon that could turn cancerous, 4 grams of curcumin per day for 30 days reduced the number of lesions by 40%.
Also read: Eat Grapes To Kill Cancer Cells

3. Detoxifies liver

According to research at the Medical University Graz in Austria, curcumin can delay liver damage and promote antioxidant development that is helpful in detoxifying liver.

4. Reduce pain

As a natural painkiller, turmeric can heal pain caused by sprains, burns and bruises. This is because curcumin reduces the level of pain producing enzymes in the body. It naturally activates the opioid system in the body, which is a pain relieving response.

5. Treats arthritis

An inflammation of joints, arthritis can be relieved by anti-inflammatory compounds present in turmeric. A study published in the Phytotherapy Research shows the effect of curcumin versus arthritis drugs on 45 rheumatoid arthritis patients. The highest improvement is seen in the group taking turmeric, and that too without any harmful side-effects.
 

6. Delays age related diseases

As an anti-ageing supplement and a drug to boost longevity, turmeric can slow down and even prevent Alzheimer's disease. This happens because curciumin reduces the build up of protein tangles or plaque in the brain.

7. Alleviates depression

Multiple studies, some of Chinese origin, show curcumin as an effective antidepressant. One particular study where researchers studied a group of 60 patients for the effect of prozac, curcumin and both found turmeric to show results equal to that of prozac. Additionally, circumin has been found to boost dopamine and serotonin production along with reversing the shrinking of hippocampus, which is important for memory and learning due to depression.

Also read : Depression Can Now Be Treated Without Medication

8. Lowers heart disease risk

Another of curcumin's benefit is improving the function of the endothelium, which is the lining of the blood vessels. Dysfunctioning in the endothelium can drive major heart problems, blood clotting and imbalance in blood pressure. A study of 121 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery showed that the group who was given curcumin showed a 65% lesser chance of heart attack.

Must read: Photosynthesis Can Help Treat Heart Disease

COMMENT