You may have seen an orange, gnarly root in select supermarkets and dismissed it as an odd-looking version of ginger. In fact turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a member of the ginger family, but is smaller in overall size and has a deep orange flesh that, if not handled with care, can result in some really permanent staining of your favorite shirt!
When added to soups and stews fresh, either sliced or shredded, just like you would use a fresh ginger root, it adds a peppery, warm and a little bitter flavor and is mainly used to enhance the flavors of other spices and food ingredients. Dried, it forms the base of all Indian curry powders, and yes, is responsible for the deep orange color of this spice blend (see below for a recipe to make your own curry spice blend).
But Turmeric is so much more than just a flavor and color enhancer. This powerful root, native to China, India and Indonesia, has been used there for both culinary as well as medicinal and healing purposes dating back more than 5000 years. The most active and well studied main constituent of turmeric is its yellow pigment, curcumin.
Curcumin, as well as Turmeric as a whole plant extract, has been shown in numerous studies to have potent anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer functions. It helps alleviate symptoms in many chronic inflammatory conditions involving joint inflammation, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, depression, diabetes, digestive and memory disorders and even various cancers.
Many of the studies used curcumin in comparison to conventional medications and found curcumin to exhibit the same results, but of course with less side effects and residual toxicity. In one clinical study involving rheumatoid arthritis sufferers , those using curcumin in supplement form showed relief in the duration of morning stiffness and joint swelling comparable to those using a conventional prescription medication as well as over the counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (1).
Other clinical studies have shown that curcumin’s anti-oxidant effect enables healthy cells, in particular their DNA, to protect themselves from free radical damage which may cause genetic mutations potentially leading to cancer (2).
Overall, the anti-cancer properties of turmeric are astounding (3, 4) It has been shown to
• inhibit certain cellular growth factors found in abundance on cancer cells, thus preventing them from replicating
• play a role in preventing the attraction of blood vessels to the tumor to ensure its survival (angiogenesis)
• stimulate a gene (p53) that is responsible for normal cell death (apoptosis)
• interfere with certain growth-promoting enzymes that cancer cells manipulate to their advantage
• support the liver’s detoxification channels for cancer-causing compounds
On top of this impressive list, Turmeric has been shown in human studies to reduce total cholesterol, and in particular the LDL (bad) cholesterol while increasing the “good” HDL cholesterol (5). Essential oils made from turmeric root have been shown to inhibit the growth of a variety of bacteria, parasites and other fungi pathogens. (6)
Will it be sufficient to enjoy spicing your dishes with turmeric from now on?
While of course whole foods is the best way to obtain your vital nutrients, and spices certainly play an important role in influencing your overall health, you would have to eat an enormous quantity of this spice to benefit from the therapeutic qualities these studies have shown turmeric to exhibit in certain disease states.
There are a variety of high-quality curcumin supplements to be found in health food stores and integrative pharmacies, including Valley Integrative Pharmacy, that contain the potencies that were used in these studies.
As a preventive approach, taking a standard curcumin supplement on a regular basis is certainly worth your investment.
It is very important to use a high-quality brand, as curcumin is notorious for not being able to be absorbed all that well by the body. You want to ensure that the capsule of curcumin you swallow can actually be taken up by your body, and that is where certain brands simply stand out. Any of the professional brands such as Designs for Health, Thorne, Metagenics, Xymogen, as well as whole food companies such as New Chapter or GAIA herbs to name but a few, fit the bill.
If you wish to mix your own curry blend, and I encourage you to do so, it is a lot of fun and you will be able to taste the freshness in your dishes immediately: Combine in a grinder
1 Tablespoon each of cumin seeds and mustard seeds
½ Tablespoon of coriander seeds
1 teaspoon each of fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, ground ginger and ground turmeric.
You can store this mix in a cool, dark pace and it will stay fresh for about 6 months. Add this to soups, stews, spiced brown rice, scrambled eggs and even salad dressings.
REFERENCES
(1)Murray, M, ND, Pizzorno, J, ND, Pizzorno L MA, LMT, The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods, 2005, Atria Books
(2) Srinivas L, Shalini VK, Turmerin: a water soluble antioxidant peptide from turmeric (Curcuma longa). Shylaja M. Arch Biochem Biophys. 1992 Feb 1; 292(2): 617-23
(3) Arbiser, JL, Klauber, N, Rohan, R. et.al. Curcumin is an in vivo Inhibitor of Angiogenesis, MolMed 1998;4(6):376-383
(4) Li, JK, Lin Shia SY. Mechanisms of Cancer Chemoprevention by Curcumin. Proc Natl Sci Counc Repub China B 2001;21(21):8370-8377
(5) Soni KB, Kuttan R. Effect of oral curcumin administration on serumn peroxides and cholesterol levels in human volunteers. Indian J Physiol Pharmacol. 1992 Oct;36(4):273-5
(6) Apisariyakul A, Vanittanakom N, Buddhasukh D. Antifungal activity of turmeric oil exctracted from Curcuma longa (Zingiberaceae). J Ethnopharmacol 1995;49:163-169
McBarron, Jan M.D., N.D. Curcumin The 21st Century Cure, 2012, To Your Health Books
Alschuler, Lise ND Turmeric – An Overview of the Research and Clinical Indications, Plant Intelligence Professional Resources
Image Courtesy of kitchendaily.com
