We hear about many spices being used widely in various cuisines but so very often we are unaware of the incredible health benefits they possess. Turmeric is a curry staple and a quintessential spice in ayurvedic and Indian cooking, most appreciated as a medicinal ingredient for its anti-inflammatory properties.
Turmeric has more than just one health benefit however and researchers have proven that daily consumption of the spice can improve a number of bodily functions. This is because turmeric contains a number of beneficial compounds.
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2 teaspoons of ground turmeric contain:
Manganese 0.34mg: 17% of the daily recommended value
Iron 1.82mg: 10% of the daily recommended value
Vitamin B6 0.08mg: 5% of the daily recommended value
Fiber 0.93g: 4% of the daily recommended value
Copper 0.03mg: 3% of the daily recommended value
Potassium 111.10 mg: 3% of the daily recommended value
In addition to these six very important nutrients, turmeric also contains a number of relevant phytonutrients: curcumin, tumenorols, demethoxycurcumin and tumerones. Phytonutrients are chemicals that help protect plants from various infestations, but they also have benefits for people who consume the plants.
Those who benefit more from phytonutrients are people on a plant-based diet, but consuming turmeric is yet another way, available for everyone to gain and maintain proper health.
The most important health benefits of consuming turmeric
Treating Uveitis – Uveitis is an inflammation of the uvea, a layer of the eye containing the iris, the ciliary body and the choroid. The condition produces swelling and can even destroy eye tissues, in severe cases causing vision loss.
Although researchers are yet to conclude to what extend turmeric treats uveitis, they have found that the curcumin compound could have healing effects for uveitis similar to the corticosteroids that are usually prescribed as medication.
Preventing and treating neurodegenerative diseases – Multiple scleroses, Alzheimer and Parkinson are some of the diseases that turmeric may help prevent and even treat when consumed regularly.
With very strong antioxidant properties, the spice helps the body fight against chronic inflammation with negative effects on the human body, causing any one of the conditions already mentioned.
Improving brain function – Aside from lowering the risk for neurodegenerative conditions, turmeric plays an important role for brain function even for healthy brains, improving memory among others. In addition, it can help people with depression due to the curcumin compound which has been shown to increase levels of a growth hormone in the brain.
It is important to mention that whereas in the past researchers believed that the brain stopped developing after childhood and puberty, nowadays more and more scientists approve that the brain continues to develop until later into the 40s and that neurons can form new connections and thus regenerate, reversing the effects of brain diseases.
Decreasing the risk for cancer
Curcumin, as suggested by studies conducted so far mostly on animals, can decrease the risk of developing cancer and slow the growing of cancer cells where the disease is already installed.
There are a few clinical studies that have been performed on humans with cancer and results show that consuming turmeric in larger quantities over longer periods of time has anticancer effects and the potential to neutralize cancer causing cells in the body.
Improving blood pressure
Most heart related diseases have stress as an underlying factor that causes the disease and increases the risk of developing one. Turmeric was shown to improve blood pressure in the body, thus decreasing the risk of developing heart diseases, even those with fatal effects.
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Researchers are only starting to uncover the incredible health benefits of turmeric, which has been used for centuries in India and other countries as an adjuvant to various conditions, many others to the ones already mentioned here. Turmeric is now more and more linked to breast and lung cancer treatment and hopefully further studies will reveal its true potential in combating other forms of cancer as well.