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Turmeric is widely recognized for its vibrant orange color, but this powerful herb is also highly revered for fighting and potentially reversing disease. These health benefits are incredibly vast and have been very thoroughly researched, making turmeric one of the most beneficial spices to add to your daily routine.
Turmeric contains several chemical compounds known as curcuminoids. Curcumin is among the most powerful curcuminoids found in turmeric and gives turmeric its superfood status. This compound gives turmeric the ability to have a positive impact on health beyond basic nutrition.
Six simple reasons to spice up your routine with turmeric:
Inflammation is one of the key ways your immune system protects itself when it is attacked by foreign bacterial or viral invaders. When inflammation becomes long-lasting or even chronic, it can slowly deplete the nutritional status of your body’s own tissues. Low-level inflammation has been shown to play a key role in the development of many chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer's, and various degenerative conditions. Turmeric has shown to be a strong anti-inflammatory due to the curcumin content of the spice.
Oxidative stress is a major mechanism behind aging as well as promoting the development of several diseases. Healthy amounts of free radicals (highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons) are known to react with organic substances such as fatty acids, proteins, and DNA in your body. When free radical activity is too accelerated over a period of time, it can increase the aging processor by acting to create a myriad of health issues. Curcumin is a potent antioxidant that can help neutralize excessive free radicals and boost the activity of your body’s natural antioxidant enzymes.
As a result of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, turmeric has been shown to be effective in treating multiple skin conditions. Taken internally as well as applied externally, turmeric may help improve glow and luster of the skin, speed up wound healing, decrease acne and scarring, and calm psoriasis flareups.
Curcumin has been studied as a beneficial herb for use during immune stress and has been shown to affect the growth, development, and spread at the molecular level of unwanted abnormal tissue.1 Studies have shown that this spice can help contribute to the death of unwanted cells and reduce the growth of additional cells. Evidence suggests that curcumin can help prevent abnormal clumps of cells from occurring in the first place.
Arthritis, inflammation in the joints, remains a common problem among older adults. The anti-inflammatory compounds in curcumin can help alleviate arthritis symptoms. In addition to banishing inflammation that can lead to arthritis symptoms, curcumin can help prevent the inflammation from worsening.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is a type of growth hormone that functions in your brain, helping to form new connections between neurons and allowing them to multiply and increase. Lower BDNF levels have been linked to many common brain disorders, but curcumin has been shown to increase brain levels of BDNF. Supplementing your diet with turmeric might help increase BDNF levels in your brain and improve overall brain function. Not a bad idea!
