Turmeric is a spice derived from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa, which is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). Rhizomes are horizontal underground stems that send out shoots as well as roots. The bright yellow color of turmeric comes mainly from fat-soluble, polyphenolic pigments known as curcuminoids. Curcumin, the principal curcuminoid found in turmeric, is generally considered its most active constituent. Other curcuminoids found in turmeric include demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin. In addition to its use as a spice and pigment, turmeric has been used in India for medicinal purposes for centuries. More recently, evidence that curcumin may have anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities has renewed scientific interest in its potential to prevent and treat disease.
It was said that something which tastes good can’t be good for you, in turmeric, this isn’t the case. Curcumin from turmeric (Curcuma longa) is the source (health benefits) of the spice Turmeric, and is used in curries and other spicy dishes from India, Asia, and the Middle East. Curcumin is what gives the Curry its characteristic bright yellow color and strong taste. If curry is too spicy for your tummy, then you can still obtain the benefits of Curcumin by taking it as a nutritional supplement in convenient capsule form Or, if you like the heat, break the capsule open and sprinkle it on your food.
Like many herbal remedies, people first used Curcumin as a food and later discovered that it also had impressive medicinal qualities. Over the centuries, this spice has been used as a pain relieving, anti-inflammatory agent to relieve pain and inflammation in the skin and muscles. It has served as a treatment for jaundice, menstrual difficulties, hematuria, hemorrhage, colic, and flatulence. In modern times, research has focused on Curcumin’s antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and antimicrobial properties, and on its use in cardiovascular disease, gastrointestinal disorders, and as a treatment for the liver.
Curcumin is the Asian version of aspirin. Our wonder drug aspirin was originally purifed from willow bark extracts that were used in European and American Indian traditional medicines to control inflammation. Eventually aspirin was synthesized by German chemists and developed by Bayer as one of the most successful drugs in the Western medicine cabinet.
Today aspirin is used not only in pain remedies and other analgesic applications, but to control minor fever and inflammation and, at low doses, to prevent heart attack and stroke. Curcumin has been used in traditional Indian (Ayruvedic) and Chinese medicine for thousands of years largely because of its proven efficacy in treating conditions with inflammation. They also used it in foods as an effective food preservative, just as we use synthetic additives like BHA. These ancient civilizations have vast trial and error experience with many different herbal remedies and food preparations and they selected curcumin as a food additive and major tool for medicinal use based on efficacy not superstition.
Curcumin is available in capsule form at your local or internet health food store. When selecting a curcumin product, always choose a name brand that guarantees the potency on each bottle label to ensure quality and purity of the product you purchase.
*Statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Curcumin from turmeric is not intended to diagnose, treat and cure or prevent disease. Always consult with your professional health care provider before changing any medication or adding Vitamins to medications.
Comments on this entry are closed.