A special raw material of Amerind and Middle Eastern culinary art , turmerichas gone totally mainstream in late years . " You ’ll findturmericin recipes for everything from lattes to curry to soups these days , " says Melissa Majumdar , registered dietitian , representative for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics , and alimentation coordinator at Brigham and Women ’s Hospital in Boston in an e-mail interview .
Turmeric give curry gunpowder its shiny yellow color , but in improver to flavoring dishes , this spice has been used medicinally and in religious ceremonies for more than4,000 years . The works is arelative of gingerroot , and is arise predominantly in India , although it ’s also farmed in other parts of Asia and Central America . Eighty percentof the existence ’s turmeric crop is wipe out in India , where it is part of the received daily diet .
Some people are skeptical of Curcuma longa ’s glowing rep , however . After all , we ’ve gotten hype up about things like fish oil supplement andcoconut oilbefore , only to have our hopes completely frighten off , or at least tamped down quite a turn when scientist consider them . What about turmeric ? Is it more than just a food for thought fad ?
Turmeric the ‘Wonder Drug’
Turmeric has been part ofAyurveda , a arm of alternative medicine that treats mind , body and life together , for thousands of years . " InAyurvedic practices , it is call back to ameliorate the overall push of the eubstance , " explains Majumdar .
Much like innovative - twenty-four hour period prescription drugs , turmerichas an " participating constituent , " calledcurcumin , the bioactive compound that establish the spice its oomph . In fact , curcumin is the reasonableness Curcuma domestica is take to help witha litanyof health effect like digestion regularization , hay fever , pelt issues , breathing problem , accelerator pedal relief , PMS , back pain and even Alzheimer ’s . Most importantly , Curcuma domestica has been hail for itsanti - inflammatoryproperties , much like pep . Turmeric seems to blockinflammatory cytokinesand enzymes within cells in your trunk .
But does science back this up ? Onesmall randomized studyin 2012 pay 500 atomic number 12 ofcurcuminto patients with rheumatoid arthritis , while a second grouping of patient was give 50 mg of diclofenac sodium , an anti - inflammatory drug . A third radical got both treatment . While all three groups get a reduction in swelling and tenderness of their joints , the radical that got only curcumin had the most improvement .
Anotherrandomized study from 2014of 107 people compare patients with degenerative arthritis in the knee who were given 1,000 mg of curcumin with patient who were give 800 mg of ibuprofen . The scientist found that there was a similar rate of simplification in pain when walking for both groups . Nevertheless , theNational Institutes of Health ( NIH ) saysthat claim of the anti - inflammatory properties of turmeric and its inherent curcuminoids have yet to be validated by stiff studies . That ’s not to say that Curcuma longa does n’t alleviate inflammation – just that science has n’t yet definitively determine whether or not it does .
Indeed , Curcuma longa still being looked at for this and a turn of other benefit . The NIH also notes that preliminary studies show that curcuminoids could bring down the routine of post - surgery heart fire in electrical shunt patient role and also reduce the skin irritation that often happen after radiation discourse for breast cancer .
Another promising use for turmeric may be depression . " Turmeric and depression has not been studied on a long - term basis , but in 6 - 8 week trials , participant demonstrate improved symptoms when shoot Curcuma domestica alongside their antidepressant , " Majumdar says . One six - week subject showed curcumin was almost as effective as the drug fluoxetine ( Prozac ) atrelieving depressionand did n’t cause that drug ’s side core like " thoughts of self-destruction . "
Taking Turmeric
Even if the medical ecesis is not pass on turmeric its full countenance yet , there ’s not much to recede by trying the spice for medicative purposes . The NIH has declare its fighting component to be " more often than not deal safe . " However , it warns that high doses or long - terminus use may cause gastrointestinal problem .
So how much should you take ? Since 1 teaspoon of Curcuma longa has 200 mg of curcumin , you ’d necessitate to add about three teaspoon to your solid food each day ( see sidebar for some recipe ideas ) . you could also grease one’s palms the active ingredient curcumin as a accessory in health food store . A Venus’s curse of500 to 1,000 mgeach day can help you fight trunk inflammation .
Be sure to let your Doctor of the Church know if you ’re going to be taking curcumin , because curcumin supplement often have an factor called piperin which increases curcumin absorption in your body but may also slow up down the elimination of other prescription drugs you might be taking for condition like seizures and eminent blood pressure . This slow metabolic process in your body may make those drug toxic to you .
