Turmeric, a spice used to flavor traditional Indian dishes, is emerging as a powerful weapon against disease. The active compound in turmeric is curcumin, a potent anti-inflammatory that gives the spice its bright yellow color. Although it has been used for centuries in the folk medicine of different cultures, modern medicine is showing that it is effective against a number of chronic diseases, including Alzheimer's and several types of cancer.
Turmeric's amazing benefits include fighting the following conditions:
Alzheimer's. A study at the University of California, Los Angeles, found curcumin may treat Alzheimer's by slowing the build-up of amyloid plaques — one of the hallmarks of Alzheimer's — in the brain, and a laboratory study at the University of Illinois revealed that curcumin protected cells from damage caused by beta-amyloid.
Cirrhosis of the liver. Austrian researchers treated mice with chronic liver inflammation, the condition that causes damaging and scarring of liver cells. Research published in the journal Gut revealed that curcumin appeared to delay the liver damage that causes cirrhosis. The curcumin reduced the blockage of bile ducts and slowed liver damage and scarring.
Pancreatic cancer. A Phase II clinical trial at MD Anderson Center involved 25 patients with pancreatic cancer who were given 8 grams of turmeric a day for two months. Tumor growth stopped in two patients, one for eight months and another for two-and-a-half years. Another patient's tumor temporarily regressed by 73 percent. Since the only two drugs approved by the FDA are effective in no more than 10 percent of patients, turmeric's effectiveness was similar, and with no side effects.
In another study, turmeric reduced tumor growth in mice with pancreatic cancer by 43 percent. When combined with fish oil, which helps the body absorb turmeric, tumor growth was reduced by 70 percent.
Parkinson's. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University Medical School showed that curcumin protected against the nerve cell damage associated with Parkinson’s. According to the University of Maryland Medical Center website, the suggested adult dosage of curcumin is 400 to 600 mg of the standardized powder three times a day.
Breast cancer. A study at the University of Missouri found that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, decreased the incidence of progestin-accelerated breast tumors in animals. It also delayed onset of the disease and reduced the incidence of multiple tumors. Another animal study published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research found that curcumin appeared to shut down a protein that helps breast cancer metastasize and spread to the lungs.
