Turmeric Health Benefits For Joint Inflammations

By Author: David M Massie
Total Articles: 10
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Turmeric health benefits are hardly a recent discovery, as it has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries. But although herbs and spices are plentiful in nature, to learn how to harness their benefits has taken a considerable amount of research and study. And while in some Eastern cultures turmeric health benefits have been widely recognized, the health benefits of turmeric are seldom recognized in the West.

Turmeric is a spice is used as a flavoring and coloring agent in many cultures. Botanically, it originates from another spice family, the ginger family that also seems to have many of the same health benefits as turmeric. It is derived from the rhizome part of the herbal plant and has a characteristic yellow color. Turmeric is typically sold in the crude or powdered form, with the powdered form being easiest to store and use.

Turmeric is believed to have impressive health benefits. One recent study reveals that it can be used to help reduce inflammation, and may even help relieve arthritis joint pain. Joint pain can happen due to a variety of reasons, but for most people joint inflammation is swelling ...
... of the tissue in the joint due to over exertion and physical stress. Turmeric can be a useful natural remedy for helping to alleviate this type of joint pain as well. It may also be effective as a natural remedy for rheumatoid arthritis pain, but more research needs to be done in this area.

So, how does it work? Damaged cartilage at the point where two bones meet causes joint pain and inflammation in diseases such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Taking turmeric can help reduce inflammation in the joint and surrounding tissues, and while it will not rebuild damaged cartilage it can help alleviate some of the related pain caused by local inflammation. Much of this inflammation is caused by an enzyme called the COX (cyclooxygenase) enzyme and turmeric works by inhibiting the action of these enzymes. COX enzymes known as COX1 and COX2 along with another enzyme called LIPOX (lipoxygenase) are responsible for causing local inflammation; it is believed that their actions are inhibited by turmeric. Of course we have drugs designed to block these enzymes but they have some fairly nasty side effects, all of which are completely absent in turmeric. And, while turmeric may not be as effective as the more potent COX-2 inhibitor drugs, for many the lack of turmeric side effects makes it the more attractive long-term solution.

Turmeric contains curcuminoid which is the actual ingredient that has pain relieving and anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, the yellow hue of the rhizome is due to the curcuminoid present in the plant. These curcuminoids are believed by some to have beneficial properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral and perhaps even anti-carcinogenic properties. However, please don't misconstrue this to mean that turmeric is a cure for cancer; while it may have shown some promising characteristics in a few preliminary studies, much more research must be done before any conclusions should be drawn. The bottom line is if anyone claims it can cure cancer, the truth is that such claims are definitely not proven and turmeric should not be considered as an alternative to chemotherapy.

Turmeric obviously has many beneficial uses, most notably for helping to alleviate joint pain and inflammation. You'll be happy to know that turmeric is an ingredient in several of the finest natural joint supplements on the market. So, now that you know about various turmeric health benefits, why not put this wonder spice to work for your own health?

I searched high and low for the best turmeric joint supplement I could find check out my Trivita reviews to find out more about my top pick at the Trivita vitamins information website.