The Health Benefits of Turmeric

The health benefits of turmeric are numerous, says Dr. Andrew Weil.

Looking for a simple New Year's resolution for health? Add turmeric to your diet.

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a culinary spice, a major ingredient in Indian curries, and the source of American mustard's bright yellow color. Used as both medicine and food for centuries, accumulating evidence suggests that this relative of ginger is a promising preventive agent for a wide range of diseases, probably due largely to its anti-inflammatory properties.

The National Institutes of Health lists 24 current studies on the effects of turmeric and its chief active component, curcumin. Such studies raise the question of which is better to take: whole turmeric, generally used as a powdered spice with food; or curcumin, which is usually taken as a supplement? Each has been shown to have health benefits, but unless you have a specific condition such as inflammatory bowel disease, I favor using turmeric (especially in cooking) rather than taking curcumin pills. This reflects my general belief that, until proven otherwise in head to head studies, whole plants are usually a better choice than isolates. On the other hand, curcumin appears to have a more rapid and dramatic effect, and may be the better choice as a therapeutic (rather than a preventative) preparation.

Here's a quick roundup of recent research on both turmeric and curcumin. Read more

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Posted in: natural remedies,turmeric

Eating Curry Weekly Could Prevent Dementia

Eating a curry once or twice a week could help prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease and dementia. The magic ingredient in curry is curcumin, a component of the spice turmeric.

Eating a curry once or twice a week could help prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, a US researcher suggests.

The key ingredient is curcumin, a component of the spice turmeric.

Curcumin appears to prevent the spread of amyloid protein plaques - thought to cause dementia - in the brain. Read more

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Posted in: Alzheimer's disease,curcumin,curry,dementia,turmeric

Common Spices Work Better than Aspirin to Stop Blood Clots

Aspirin is often prescribed to prevent blood clots that may cause a heart attack or stroke. Though aspirin is a relatively benign drug, common spices may work up to 29 times better and have no side effects.

Spices do a whole lot more than liven up food. New research has found that the active ingredients in several common spices prevent platelet aggregation and blood clot formation up to 29 times better than aspirin, and without the side effects.

Scientists in India have done extensive testing to determine the health benefits of spices traditionally used in Indian cuisine. In the latest research to come from the Central Food Technological Research Institute, they evaluated the effect of the principle spice active compounds eugenol, capsaicin, piperine, quercetin, curcumin, cinnamaldehyde, and allyl sulphide on human platelet aggregation. They demonstrated that each compound evaluated was able to significantly inhibit blood clotting. Furthermore, the compounds performed their anti-platelet aggregation activity against several different factors that promote the clotting of blood. Read more

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Posted in: bee pollen,black pepper,blood clots,cinnamon,cloves,garlic,Indian spices,red pepper,spices,turmeric