7 Health Wonders Of Turmeric Powder We Bet You Didn’t Know

By Author: Karthik
Total Articles: 43
Comment this article

Turmeric is a powerful spice with remarkable uses and benefits. It’s known for its antioxidant content and ability to work as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Turmeric powder is made by dry grinding of mature turmeric rhizomes or underground stems. Turmeric has been used for colouring and flavouring food, for cosmetic purposes and medicinal properties, since ancient times in India. It has long been used by the Chinese in medical treatments and is widely used in Asian kitchens.

Almost all Asian cuisines use this spice which has almost no calories and zero cholesterol. It may be the most effective 100% naturally occurring nutritional supplement in existence.

Health Benefits of Turmeric Powder
The extensive health benefits of turmeric come mainly from its ingredient, “curcumin”. This component of turmeric is highly therapeutic and is useful for its immunity boosting and antioxidant properties.

1. Prevent and Treat Cancer
Uncontrolled growth of cells characterizes cancer. Research has shown that curcumin in turmeric inhibits cancer growth, development and spread at the molecular level.

Studies ...
... have shown that it can reduce angiogenesis i.e. growth of new blood vessels in tumours, metastasis i.e. spread of cancer, as well as contribute to the death of cancerous cells. Some studies have pointed out that it may even prevent cancer from initially occurring, especially cancers of the digestive system.

2. Prevent and Treat Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s is the most commonly occurring neurodegenerative disease and a leading cause of dementia. Regrettably, no treatment or cure is available for Alzheimer’s yet. Therefore, preventing its occurrence in the first place is of utmost importance.

Inflammation and oxidative damage play a major role in Alzheimer’s disease, with a buildup of protein tangles called amyloid plaques. Improvement of overall memory in Alzheimer’s patients is caused due to effects of curcumin: decreased beta-amyloid plaques, delayed degradation of neurons, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant property. By crossing the blood-brain barrier it has been shown to lead to various improvements in the pathological process of Alzheimer’s disease.

3. Protects Against Certain Liver Diseases
The curcumin in turmeric protects against certain liver diseases by acting as an antioxidant and inhibits NF-kappaB activation thus producing pro-inflammatory cytokines. A study has revealed that curcumin is effective in preventing and reversing cirrhosis. This suggests that curcumin could be an effective anti-fibrotic and fibrinolytic in the treatment of chronic hepatic diseases. Turmeric is a natural way to detoxify your liver.

4. Controls Development of Type 2 Diabetes
People who have a predisposition to diabetes find that turmeric can help control development of type 2 diabetes. Researchers have found that people with prediabetes who ingested curcumin were less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared with people who didn't take the curcumin. Turmeric lessens insulin resistance and prevents type 2 diabetes; hence its regular consumption in food will be beneficial even for people who are not prediabetic.

5. Improves Rheumatoid Arthritis
There are several different types of arthritis, but most are characterized by inflammation in the joints. As curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory, it helps with arthritic inflammatory pain. Several studies show that patients with rheumatoid arthritis find curcumin more effective than anti-inflammatory medication.

6. Promotes Weight Loss
Curcumin helps in weight loss and decreases the occurrence of obesity-related diseases. The inflammation connected with obesity is due in part to the presence of immune cells called macrophages in fat tissues throughout the body. Turmeric is believed to suppress the number and activity of such cells and help reduce some of the adverse consequences of obesity.

7. Delays Ageing and Fights Age-Related Diseases
Free radicals cause oxidative damage to DNA and proteins and are associated with a variety of chronic diseases. Curcumin helps curb these conditions.
Curcumin being stronger than vitamin E and vitamin C, it helps boost your immunity and has become very popular as an anti-aging supplement.
Safety profile
Turmeric is safe with no side effects when consumed optimally. People with turmeric sensitivity can have mild stomach upset or diarrhoea, nausea, increased risk of bleeding, increased liver function tests, hyperactive gallbladder contractions, hypotension and uterine contractions in pregnant women.

Turmeric may interfere with anticoagulants and could also affect medications such as non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs. If you have prescription medications, you will find it beneficial to add organic turmeric powder like that of Terra Green's Turmeric powder in your diet to reduce the adverse effects of medication. It is certified under NPOP AND NOP standards of organic certification. Culinary use is generally considered safe.

So go ahead and explore all the wonders of this yellow powder.