Turmeric the Super Supplement

Turmeric is a popular orange spice often used in Indian cuisine, particularly curry. For 4,000+ years this plant, a close relative of ginger, has been cultivated in Southeast Asia not only for its pungent, sharp taste and coloring to food, but also for its many facets of healing.

As studies continually surface with another positive benefit of this unassuming plant, it has rapidly risen to super supplement status.

According to a study published in the Journal of Nephropathology (2012),

“Turmeric, a neglected Asian traditional drug might reemerge as remedy and/or preventive tool for various illnesses including different type of cancers, obesity, type-2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, CKD [chronic kidney disease] and ESRD [end stage renal disease], which are steadily increasing globally, claiming many lives and tremendous amount of resources worldwide.” (Alt. Daily 2/3/16)

Maybe turmeric the super supplement could help you with one or more ailments before turning to conventional medicine’s pills or even surgery. There is also a chance that this orange healer may even protect you from disease.

The Joint Whisperer

Whether you’re on the weekend warrior circuit, pushing your body to its youthful limits or struggling with aching joints due to age, occupation, or trauma, turmeric may help.

A study in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine (2/13) by researchers at the Department of Stomatology, University of California, San Francisco concluded that,

“Curcumin [active compound in turmeric] has been demonstrated to be safe in six human trials and has demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity. It may exert its anti-inflammatory activity by inhibition of a number of different molecules that play a role in inflammation.”

Once a Month

Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) can be a very uncomfortable and, for some, a painful monthly struggle. Bloating, headaches, dreaded cramps and even digestive imbalance can all take their toll to make you reach for the nearest NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) and/or antidepressant. Now turmeric may be a better choice.

According to a study of turmeric and PMS, combined work by researchers throughout Iran was published in Neuropeptides (11/15). It stated that,

“Before intervention, BDNF levels [brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein which has shown to be significantly lower in woman suffering from PMS] and mean scores of PMS symptoms (mood, behavioral and physical symptoms) between two groups showed no significant differences. But in curcumin group first, second and third cycles after interventions BDNF levels were significantly higher and mean scores of PMS symptoms were significantly less than placebo group.”

The Big Guns

Cancer is a scary word that has weaseled its way into most people’s lives either directly or indirectly. Turmeric has shown to be highly effective in dealing with various cancer cells.

Cancer Research UK reports that,

“A number of laboratory studies on cancer cells have shown that curcumin does have anticancer effects. It seems to be able to kill cancer cells and prevent more from growing. It has the best effects on breast cancer, bowel cancer, stomach cancer and skin cancer cells.”

Some other impressive results of turmeric vs. cancer includes:

• Combined treatment killed more cancer cells than chemotherapy alone
• Helped stop breast cancer cells from spreading to other parts of the body
• Showed to be able to shrink tumors

Helping the Ticker

It turns out that turmeric may also be a natural anti-cholesterol tool. The University of Maryland Medical Center describes how, in animal lab studies, turmeric lowered cholesterol levels and kept LDL (bad) cholesterol from building up in blood vessels.

In addition, turmeric has shown to prevent blood platelets from clumping together which could prevent clots. Research is still pending as only very low doses of turmeric supplements were studied. It is believed that an accumulative effect of daily doses of turmeric capsules between 400-600 mg could be beneficial.

Contraindications

It is always important to speak to your doctor before taking any alternative remedies. Turmeric could thin your blood so be sure to tell your doctor you are taking it if you are also taking blood thinning medication. It may increase stomach acid which could interfere with stomach medications and it may also strengthen diabetes drugs.

Give turmeric the supper supplement a try and see if you don’t notice a change after about one month. Also take note that if turmeric is combined with bromelain (a pineapple extract) it may work more efficiently.