Health benefits of Turmeric

21/07/17

Discovered around two centuries ago, curcumin is an active ingredient of turmeric, a root stalk of the Curcuma longa plant that grows wild in the tropical forests of South and Southeast Asia. It has been used for its health benefits in Indian and Asian cooking and medicine for thousands of years and was described by Marco Polo as having the properties of saffron.

With its distinctive bright yellow colour and aromatic yet bitter taste, turmeric has traditionally been used for flavouring, as a textile dye, and in medicine since 600 BC. The spice is primarily produced in India where it is an integral ingredient of curry, but also grows extensively in Vietnam and Indonesia where it is also widely used.

The health benefits of turmeric are numerous and wide ranging as it has been used for centuries in Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic medicine. Since then there have been thousands of studies into the benefits of curcumin in turmeric and numerous comparisons to modern day pharmaceutical medicines.

One well known beneficial property of turmeric is its ability to act as a natural anti-inflammatory agent. Inflammation helps the body fight invasive pathogens so can be advantageous in the short term, however if it becomes chronic it could lead to a whole range of diseases including cancer, Alzheimer's, arthritis, and heart disease. Curcumin contains bioactive compounds which block molecules linked to genes that control inflammation.

As a potent antioxidant, turmeric can neutralise free radicals, highly reactive molecules accelerating oxidative damage in the body, to reduce their reaction with proteins, fatty acids and DNA. It also energises the activity of the immune system’s own antioxidant enzymes.

In previous studies, curcumin has been compared to Prozac to test its beneficial qualities as an antidepressant where it was discovered to be equally effective. Curcumin rich turmeric has even been linked to anti-ageing and chronic disease prevention with these health boosting attributes. The list of health advantages is long and possible delays in the onset of liver damage, diabetes, dementia, cancer, and heart disease have all been associated with the beneficial biological components of that yellow curry component, Turmeric.

Many of our recipes include turmeric to make great tasting meals. Contact JD Seasonings today for more information.