Turmeric is an ancient flowering herb, Cucurbita maxima of the ginger family, Curcuma longifolia, the roots of which are still used widely in Asian cuisine. It was among one of the first spices used by man and has been used for treating many disorders. Turmeric may be taken as a spice, an herb or even as a supplement for its numerous health benefits.
Turmeric’s main active ingredient, curcumin, is derived from the tropical region of India. When raw, turmeric produces a reddish color in the form of a yellowish brown spice. The spice then undergoes an oxidation process that converts it to yellowish-brown in color. The conversion of turmeric to yellow color is due to the presence of phytochemical compounds present in the spice that are responsible for the spice’s color. The yellow color of turmeric is due to the presence of carotenes, toluene and methanol. Several other compounds that make up turmeric include curcumin, tannic acid, piperine, resveratrol, disulphide, saponins and flavonoids.
Though turmeric shows positive effects on some health disorders, mainly those involving the gastrointestinal tract, some studies have shown that it may have some negative side effects as well. One of the known side effects of taking turmeric is a yellow discoloration of the stool in people suffering from gastroenteritis. This is caused by the yellow pigment coating the intestinal walls as a result of excessive consumption of the spice. In mild cases, a yellow color of the stool may not be a problem; however, in more serious cases of gastroenteritis, it may turn out to be fatal.
Antioxidants are known to fight against the side effects of the mentioned side effects. The role of antioxidants in dealing with stomach inflammation is simply to neutralize the free radicals produced by the inflammation process. Since the free radicals originate from the inflammation process, they cannot be prevented from leaving the body. However, these free radicals can be converted into water, which can cause dehydration. In order to prevent the presence of dehydration in the body, turmeric can be used as a powerful antioxidant.
Besides treating the above-mentioned side effects of turmeric, some researchers also claim that it can effectively treat heart diseases. As mentioned earlier, curcumin possesses the property to reduce the amount of triglycerides in the blood. It also contains numerous nutrients, including vitamin A, C and E, which are helpful in preventing degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and heart attack. Using turmeric extracts spice in combination with black pepper can be extremely beneficial in treating diabetes.
The Southeast Asia region is home to a large population with varied ethnic backgrounds. All these people have the same medical problems and many of them are treated with the same traditional medicines. When it comes to tropical diseases, however, their traditional medicine is far from being effective. This is why scientists from the University of Texas started researching about turmeric in the late 1990s.
They discovered that curcuminoids present in turmeric have the ability to destroy the amyloid fibril, which is a component of the plaque that causes Alzheimer’s disease. Surprisingly enough, they found out that the effectiveness of this spice when it comes to preventing the formation of amyloid plaques decreases as the amount of curcumin increases. This finding is very promising because it means that the turmeric spice can serve as a prevention method for Alzheimer’s disease. Since curry powder is often used in the preparation of traditional Southeast Asian dishes, scientists are now planning on further studies about the health benefits of this spice. In the meantime, however, this powdered herb is widely used to treat a number of ailments.
Among these ailments that turmeric can treat include inflammation, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, HIV, asthma, liver diseases, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, herpes, viral infections, meningitis, and other diseases. Because inflammation is considered to be one of the root causes of many diseases, curcumin can be used in conjunction with other traditional medicines to effectively treat these symptoms. For instance, physicians usually advise their patients to take antioxidant supplements in order to minimize the damage that free radicals cause in the body. By combining turmeric with vitamin C and E, however, curcumin can improve the antioxidant properties of these pills and prevent free radical damage.