Turmeric ( scientific name – Curcuma longa) is a yellow colored Indian spice which belongs to the ginger family and is a native to southwest India. It is added to food to give yellow color to food (vegetable curry) but the benefits of turmeric are not just limited to color and there are many other benefits of turmeric.
Turmeric is antibacterial, antifungal, antiseptic in nature and there are many other qualities associated with turmeric and because of all these qualities, turmeric is in use for medicinal purposes from ancient time ( 3000 B.C ).
In this article, we will know about major health benefits of turmeric, but it is also important to note that benefits of turmeric are not just limited to health and there are also some beauty benefits of turmeric.
# Turmeric Helps In Preventing CancerCancer is a deadly disease from which millions of people suffer all over the world, and many of these patients lose their battle to cancer and die. As per a report, around 589,430 people died in 2015 because of cancer, and this figure is just of the United States. As we all know that prevention is better than cure, so we all should do our best to prevent our self from cancer and turmeric can help you in doing so.
Turmeric is very effective in preventing various types of cancers like colon cancer, skin cancer, and prostate cancer because of the presence of compounds like curcumin in it. These compounds make turmeric beneficial in cancer, not only for preventing cancer but also in stopping the growth of existing prostate cancer cells and in destroying cancer cells.
Other than this, turmeric is also good in protecting our body from radiation-induced tumors and prevents us from tumor cells like T-cell Leukemia, Colon carcinomas, and Breast Carcinomas.
As per the study was done by the doctors of the UCLA Department of Head and Neck Surgery, it was found that the presence of curcumin in turmeric also block an enzyme that promotes head and neck cancer. In this study, 21 people suffering from head and neck cancers were given two tablets (containing 1000 milligrams of curcumin) to chew and it was found that curcumin inhibited the presence of cancer-promoting enzymes in the mouth of patients, and stopped the advancement of cancer in the patients who had gone through the test.
Other than the curcumin, the presence of a large number of antioxidants in turmeric also plays a big role in preventing various types of cancer as the antioxidants present in turmeric fights with the free radicals of our body and stabilizes them, and in this way prevents them from damaging our body cells which can cause cancer.
# Turmeric Provides Relief From Arthritis, OsteoarthritisJoint problems like arthritis, osteoarthritis, and arthritis can be very painful and make normal activities like sitting, standing and walking difficult. Turmeric can help in providing relief from arthritis and other joint problems because of the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric. The presence of anti-inflammatory compounds in turmeric helps in reducing the inflammation of joints in the patient suffering from arthritis, and thus provides relief from the pain.
Other than this, turmeric is also rich in antioxidants that fight with the free radicals of our body and prevents our joints from the free radical damage and helps in providing relief from rheumatoid arthritis.
Some studies have also found that taking turmeric extract can provide as much relief from osteoarthritis pain as provided by the pain killers like Ibuprofen.
# Turmeric Helps In Controlling DiabetesDiabetes is a disease of modern lifestyle and as per a WHO report of 2014, there are around 347 million people suffering from diabetes worldwide, and this deadly disease is predicted to become the 7th main cause of death in the world ( by the year 2030 ).
In 2012, diabetes was the direct reason behind the death of 1.5 million diabetic patients. No doubt, diabetes is a deadly disease and if you are suffering from diabetes then you should do your best to keep your diabetes under control.
When it comes to keeping diabetes under control, turmeric can help a lot as it can be used for the treatment of diabetes by helping in moderating the insulin levels of our body. It also controls glucose level and increases the effect of diabetes medications in controlling diabetes.
Other than this, turmeric is also effective in reducing insulin resistance and may prevent the onset of Type-2 diabetes. One point to remember here is that turmeric combined with stronger medications for diabetes can reduce the blood sugar level to a very low level and cause hypoglycemia.
# Turmeric As An Anti-Inflammatory CompoundThe majority of us believe that inflammation is bad for our health, but that’s not the case in reality. In fact, inflammation is good and incredibly important for keeping us healthy as it helps the body to fight foreign invaders and also plays a significant role in repairing damaged cells.
Without inflammation, pathogens like bacteria and viruses can even kill us by destroying our body cells. Inflammation turns into a problem when it changes from acute ( short-term ) inflammation to chronic ( long-term ) inflammation.
Chronic inflammation is one of the main reasons behind various health problems like heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and other degenerative diseases.
Turmeric is a very strong and natural anti-inflammatory substance can help in controlling inflammation level of our body and provide relief from pain and problems caused by the inflammation like joint pain, arthritis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, etc.
As per some studies, it was found that curcumin present in turmeric might ease the symptoms of uveitis, which is long-term inflammation of the middle layer of the eye. Daily intake of turmeric also helps in providing relief from kidney inflammation because of its anti-inflammatory properties.
It has been found that anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin are as powerful as the anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical drugs and that too without any side effects.
# Turmeric Regulates Cholesterol LevelBad cholesterol and uncontrolled cholesterol level are one of the major reason behind various cardiovascular diseases and other health problem.
It is very important for us to make sure that our bad cholesterol level ( LDL cholesterol ) level stays at a low level and our good cholesterol level ( HDL cholesterol ) level stay at a high level as it helps in reducing the level of bad cholesterol from our bloodstream.
Turmeric is very effective in controlling the serum cholesterol ( which consist of HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and Triglycerides ) level in our body, and thus prevents our body from the various cardiovascular problem.
Keeping cholesterol level under control helps not only in keeping the cardiovascular problem at bay but also provide many other benefits to our body, like help in making of vitamin D, helps in making of cortisol and aldosterone, improves immunity functions of our body and several other benefits.
# Turmeric As Immunity BoosterOur body is very effective in protecting us from harmful diseases by keeping the diseases causing pathogens away from our body, and even if we get ill or suffer from a disease, our immunity system to do its best to recover us as soon as possible.
This is possible only if our immunity system is strong enough to fight the diseases causing pathogens and not when it is weak. A weak immune system can’t fight with pathogens for long and we ultimately get ill and our chances of getting ill also increase.
Turmeric is very effective in boosting our immune system and making it powerful again so that it can fight with the outside invaders and protect it from entering the body and also in killing disease-causing pathogens when we get ill.
# Turmeric Helps In Healing WoundsTurmeric is very effective in healing wounds because of its strong and natural antibacterial and antiseptic properties. Because of these properties of turmeric, it can be used as an effective disinfectant and apply turmeric powder or turmeric paste on cuts and wounds can speed up the healing process.
Turmeric not only helps in healing wounds but also helps in repairing damaged skin cells, and that’s why it may be used to treat psoriasis and other inflammatory skin diseases.