Tumeric for Health

Benefit of Tumeric

Tumeric has been used in India for more than 2500 years, probably as a dye at first. The tumeric plant is native to South India and Indonesia. You may know it as the spice in curry chicken.

It's a relative of cardamom and ginger.

However, you may not know of healing properties tumeric. It's one of the most potent anti-inflammatories.

Turmeric root contains curcumin, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory phytochemical. Indian researchers have found that tumeric relieves joint pain and swelling in people with arthritis.

This curcumin extract is also one of the major antioxidants found in tumeric. Antioxidants scavenge your body for free radicals, the things that turn healthy cells into cancer cells.

Benefits of Tumeric

• detoxifies the body

• protects the liver from alcohol and toxic chemicals

• helps the body digest fat

• guards the stomach by killing salmonella bacteria and protozoa

• may help halt the progression of multiple sclerosis

• stops leukemia cells from multiplying

• may improve irritable bowel syndrome

• lowers incidence of some cancers---skin and breast

• blocks Alzheimer's disease causing amyloid fibers in the brain

Tumeric Side Effects

None to report.

Though pregnant women, nursing women, and people on medication should consult their doctor before taking supplemental tumeric.

Tumeric Extract in a Supplement

The standardized extract form is the most potent. It contains the highest concentration of the active ingredient curcumin.

Tumeric extract should be standardized to contain 98 percent curcumin; look for this on the label.

NOTE: Tumeric powder contains only five percent curcumin.

Piperine and Tumeric

Supplemental tumeric will only benefit you if it is absorbed. To be absorbed, tumeric has to be filtered by your liver.

An active ingredient in black pepper, piperine, significantly enhances the absorption of tumeric. Look for both in a multi-nutrient supplement.