The Indian saffron, Haridra, Jiang Huang, and haldi are often referred to as turmeric. It is a spice cultivated in many countries in Asia and belongs to the family of ginger. In cuisines like that of Asia, the benefits of turmeric have a wide usage. It has a bitter-warm taste and is sometimes used as a flavor booster in mustards, curry powders, and dairy products like butter, cheeses. Curcumin, the main active ingredient in turmeric is a yellow-colored chemical. In turmeric, there are more than 100 different compounds. Curcumin is one of them that provides many of the health benefits of the spice.
Turmeric roots:
Dried, powdered turmeric roots are used in making turmeric used in curries for flavor and taste. We eat it in raw form, typically grated into fine shreds rich in liquid. We also commonly use the roots of turmeric to produce medicines.
Fresh turmeric roots or rhizomes are close relatives of the ginger family and taste fresher when used in roots form by emitting livelier flavors. The root’s flavor is mildly earthy and spicy. We can use the fresh roots as a fish pickle with our meal and it can also give an extra punch of protein to smoothies and shakes.
The fresh roots contain much more nutrients than the powder, even though we have been using the dried variety more commonly. The roots are also rich in oil, a great antiseptic and antibacterial in itself; adequate to provide the body with its protective shield against diseases, burns, and wounds.
Turmeric nutrition:
A tablespoon of ground turmeric provides 29 calories, nearly a gram of protein 2 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of carbohydrates. It contains minerals including manganese, potassium, and phosphorus. Turmeric has magical nutrients as well—the kind that casts spells to keep the body strong and safe.
Turmeric uses:
In Ayurveda, western Indian medical systems, in Eastern Asian medical systems, like traditional Chinese medicine, turmeric has traditionally been used. It has historically been used in India for skin, joints, upper respiratory tract, and digestive disorders.
Today, for several medical conditions, including arthritis, respiratory infections, liver disease, allergies, digestive disorders, depression, and various others, we can use the benefits of turmeric as a dietary supplement. It is interesting to know what turmeric does to the body for which its medicinal uses are increasing day by day, even in the treatment of cancer.
Curcumin is the compound responsible for most of the potential health advantages of turmeric. It is a natural antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties, as well as can be associated with the health benefits of turmeric.
The various health benefits of turmeric are:
Diabetes: Curcumin can help combat inflammation and maintain stable blood sugar levels.
Viral Infections: Curcumin will help you protect against many viruses, including herpes and influenza.
Premenstrual Syndrome: Curcumin supplements helped relieve PMS symptoms.
High Cholesterol: Several studies have shown that LDL “bad” cholesterol can be reduced by turmeric.
Alzheimer’s: There is chronic inflammation in people with Alzheimer’s, and turmeric appears to have natural anti-inflammatory effects.
Arthritis: The ability of turmeric to alleviate joint pain, stiffness, and inflammation has shown promise.
Acne: Some people believe that it will help combat stubborn pimples by placing a turmeric mask on their skin or consuming turmeric — possibly because of the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties mentioned by the spice.
Cancer treatment:
In recent decades, cancer care has progressed tremendously, but there is still a long way to go before we can beat cancer. Curcumin represents a promising candidate and we can use it as an effective anticancer drug. Curcumin, according to the report, can affect a wide range of molecules that play a role in cancer, including transcription factors that are vital for DNA replication; growth factors; cytokines that are essential for cell signaling.
In countries where people eat more Curcumin, research has shown lower levels of some cancers. This is at Curcumin levels over long periods of around 100mg to 200mg a day. A few laboratory experiments have reported that Curcumin has anti-cancer effects on cancerous cells. It destroys cancer cells and inhibits their development and use for cancer treatment. It has the best effects on cancer of the breast, cancer of the intestine, cancer of the stomach, and skin cancer cells.
Several studies have studied whether Curcumin may be a medication for cancer. There also had some positive outcomes. International laboratory research on bowel cancer cells was one of these in 2013. It looked at the results of Curcumin combination therapy and chemotherapy. The researchers concluded that it could be safer for combined treatment than chemotherapy alone. An issue that several study highlights are that Curcumin is not readily absorbed. This makes it work less.
Curcumin: a medication for Cancer?
Chronic inflammation, like cancer, underlies most chronic diseases. We can think in one way that the function of Curcumin is to decrease inflammation levels in the body.
Studies have indicated that Curcumin can inhibit enzymes that are essential for controlling inflammatory processes in the body, such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Inflammatory conditions and some tumors are associated with elevated levels of COX-2 or iNOS. Curcumin uses different mechanisms to destroy cancer cells and decrease the growth of new tumor blood vessels, which makes Curcumin an interesting drug development candidate.
Other research indicates that the addition of Curcumin to a chemotherapy regimen may make the therapy more effective. The combined therapy was better than chemo alone, scientists found.
Turmeric can also protect healthy cells from radiation therapy-induced damage. Although much of the research has been done in the laboratory on Curcumin and cancer, there are some positive findings in humans.
Other uses of turmeric:
- We can reduce Heterocyclic amine levels (HCAs) up to 40 percent by adding turmeric to meat. When cooked over high heat, as in grilling, HCAs shape on chicken and beef. The intake of HCAs can cause higher cancer.
- To get rid of dandruff and dry scalp, we can use turmeric with olive and jojoba oil. Hence, we can nourish our scalp with turmeric and eliminates dandruff.
- We can use the benefits of turmeric to suppress all the pain in the stomach.
- It helps to alleviate abdominal pressure and get rid of stomach aches. Many drugs for stomach pain have a certain amount of turmeric in them.
Turmeric is mainly known to stain any if used frequently, but the situation is completely different in this case. The use of turmeric paste helps whiten the teeth and brighten them. In their toothpaste, several businesses constitute turmeric to help keep teeth clean and white.
