Turmeric: A Wonder Spice

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Turmeric (Curcuma longa), the boiled, dried, and powdered rhizomes of the turmeric plant, is an important Indian spice that gives an appetizing yellow color to curries. The color is derived from curcumin, a bright yellow, phenolic pigment, which, along with the essential oils in turmeric (turmerone, zingiberine), accounts for its medicinal properties. Indian folk medicines as well as the ancient medicine system called ayurveda have always used turmeric to reduce inflammation, to heal wounds, to treat coughs and to increase skin luster. It was a vindication for the Indians’ ancient medical traditions when the United States Patent and TradeMark Office revoked a couple of years back the patents granted to the University of Mississippi for the “discovery” of turmeric for wound healing after examining evidences of turmeric’s widespread use in Indian folk medicines.

Turmeric has been a significant element in the daily lives of Indians for many, many centuries. As a sign of auspiciousness, it is used in all ritualistic religious ceremonies and social functions. Young girls and married women adorn themselves with an alluring red dot called kumkum on their foreheads that’s made out of turmeric and quick lime. At every social gathering, women are welcomed with betel leaves, turmeric, coconut and kumkum. Prior to marriage, bride and bridegroom take a holy bath with turmeric paste applied on their bodies. The newborn baby is given a daily oil bath followed by a massage with a mixture of turmeric, gram flour and milk.

Both Ayurvedic and Unani practitioners in India use turmeric to treat fractured bones and sprains. Traditional bone setters in India use a paste of millet flour, turmeric and salts to treat sprains and fractured bones. Turmeric is excellent for treating digestive disorders, since it stimulates appetite, and treats diarrhea, dyspepsia, flatulence, and gallbladder complaints. It aids in the digestion of protein (that’s why turmeric is added to dal  or pulses during cooking). Curcumin helps bile secretion and storage by stimulating the bile duct and the gallbladder. Turmeric can effectively maintain the flora of the large intestine. Boil a teaspoon of haldi with water till it reduces to half, and then mix it with buttermilk to treat chronic diarrhea.

To expel worms in the intestine, it is advisable to drink 50 ml of raw turmeric juice with a pinch of salt on an empty stomach in the morning.

Turmeric is also recommended for treating diabetes, anemia, measles and cough. For treating diabetes, use turmeric roots powdered and mixed with the juice of bitter gourd. To soothe throat irritations or ease chronic cough, drink half a teaspoon of fresh turmeric powder stirred into hot milk. Turmeric is a good medicine for voice culture and many singers take it before public performance. When mucous membranes of the nose are inflamed, as in allergic rhinitis or sinusitis, steam inhalation of decoction made by boiling turmeric solution is found effective. In case of a running cold, inhale smoke from the burning turmeric tuber for a quick relief. Turmeric also possesses some anti-microbial action, and has been used to treat inflammations of the mouth.

Turmeric can calm stressed nerves and is a tonic. It is also useful in curing periodic attacks of hysteria and convulsions. Turmeric is rich in iron and is valuable in anemia. A teaspoon of raw turmeric juice, mixed with honey, is taken every day in the treatment of this condition. Turmeric is seen included in many herbal tonics also. Turmeric tea commonly is the reason for the health and longevity of Okinawans. The yellow pigment curcumin has mild anti-thrombotic activity since it inhibits platelets from clumping together.

Ointments and lotions based on turmeric are used for the treatment of wounds, ringworm, eczema, and inflammations. Turmeric is used in treatment of boils, furuncles and carbuncles, as it promotes suppuration. Turmeric paste made with addition of quick lime is applied as dressing for black eye, bruises etc.

Turmeric facemasks are extensively available in Herbs parlors for their skin-friendly treatment that prevents bacterial infection. Turmeric pastes cure pigmentation, maintain the pH factor and are constantly applied on the neck, face and over-all body to enhance the complexion and brightness of skin. Turmeric paste is applied to small pox and chickenpox eruptions to quicken scab formation.

Turmeric is useful for all inflammatory disorders and for autoimmune conditions. Researchers at The University of Arizona College of Medicine recommend the use of
turmeric for the prevention of both rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis. They found that curcuminoid extract prevented the onset of rheumatoid arthritis by inhibiting the activation of a transcription factor called NF-KB in the joint that produce destructive, inflammatory proteins. This action of turmeric indicates why turmeric is useful in other inflammatory disorders, such as asthma, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease. Japanese researchers at the Hamamatsu University School of Medicine say that turmeric may help treat colonic inflammation. A preliminary study at the Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee has shown that turmeric may arrest the progression of multiple sclerosis that affects the brain.

Turmeric extract is used for promoting joint health due to its natural COX-2 inhibiting properties. COX-2 inhibitors are anti-inflammatory drugs that stop the chemical reaction that leads to inflammation in the body without producing ulcers or harming the stomach lining.

In addition to preventing joint inflammation, the research at the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), US National Institute of Health (NIH) shows that the curcuminoid extract blocks the pathway that affects bone resorption. Turmeric taken as a dietary supplement during perimenopause prevents bone loss and osteoporosis in women.

Scientists at the Institute of Cytology and Preventive Oncology (ICPO) based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, have recently found that curcumin actually stops the protein in the epithelial cells from binding with the deadly Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) that is the main cause for cervical cancer.

Turmeric is a weapon against several other cancers, Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis and skin ailments. Animal studies have shown that curcumin blocks the formation and accumulation of the plaque that characterizes Alzheimer’s. That Indians appear to have one of the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s in the world is attributed to the wide use of turmeric with every meal. Curcumin is an antioxidant and a free radical scavenger that is considerably more powerful than vitamin E. It is anti-mutagenic due to its ability to inhibit topoisomerase enzymes that control the changes in DNA structure. Recent research at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston as well as the study at the University of Texas, Arlington, shows that Turmeric can suppress the development of stomach, breast, colon, lung and skin tumors and help reduce the dosage of toxic chemotherapy drugs.  .