Health benefits of Turmeric


Names:

It is called as Turmeric  in English, Haridra in Sanskrit.,”ಅರಸಿನ”  in Kannada. It’s botanical name is “Curcuma longa “.In Ayurveda Haridra is the term used often.

Antiseptic :

It is commonly used in the powder form. In wounds it is applied in paste form. It’s used in burn wounds as well.it prevents growth of microorganisms in addition. Therefore healing of wounds will be clean and faster.

Healthy teeth :

It helps to build healthy teeth. It prevents dental caries. As such this benefit is attributed to fluoride. Turmeric contains good amount of fluoride.

Alzheimer’s disease :

Consequently Alzheimer’s disease is more prevalent in older age group .The loss of nervous tissue is main feature in this. Such condition leads to dementia with poor quality of life. Turmeric is a boon to such patients. Daily consumption of turmeric prevents Alzheimer’s disease.

Pain killer:

OsteoArthritis and rheumatoid arthritis is associated with joint inflammation. These are associated with painful joint movements. Later may lead to deformity as well. Turmeric reduces inflammation of joints and pain. It is due to its prostaglandin inhibitory property.

In diabetes:

There was a conference in Sanfransisco in 2008.The main concept of conference was diabetes. Many more research articles were presented about the benefits of turmeric in diabetes. Many of them opined that turmeric prevents typediabetes mellitus. Additionally trials were conducted to show the reduced blood sugar levels after consumption of turmeric. .Therefore blood sugar tests and glucose tolerance tests were conducted on diabetics. Also it is proved that turmeric is beneficial in patients even though they are taking insulin injections. Turmeric can be taken internally by those who take daily doses of antidiabetec tablets. Turmeric also prevents vital organ damage in diabetecs.

Ayurvedic classical texts mentioned ” Haridra prameha haranam shresta “.It means that turmeric is supreme in managing diabetes.

For skin :

You know very well that skin is very sensitive to heat and other external factors. Beauty of skin is lost due to more exposure to sunrays. It’s also known fact that non exposure to sunlight is also detrimental to skin texture. Application of turmeric on skin, especially to face increase the shine and glow of skin. Therefore it is used in many of the ayurvedic skin creams.

Antioxidant and anticancerous :

Turmeric contains a very powerful antioxidant “curcumin”. The yellow colour of turmeric is due to curcumin. It prevents ageing process. So anybody those who wants to look younger can take this internally as a daily regimen. Since it has got antioxidant property, it prevents the progress of cancer. Antioxidant is the property of the ingredients to scavenge the free radicals. Hence the name “free radical scavengers “for such drugs. It’s proved that Turmeric prevents the spread of cancer from breast to lungs and other body parts.

In cough :

It reduces cough, acts as an expectorant. Since it has antiallergic qualities it is used in dry cough also. Turmeric can be dissolved in hot water and taken internally.”Haridra khand

a churna “is a well known classical Ayurveda preparation. It can be used daily with honey in cases of cough with expectoration .It is not recommended with honey in cases of dry cough.

Reduce cholesterol

It increases HDL which is beneficial to body. It reduces LDL which is harmful to body. High LDL promotes possibilities of heart attack. Since turmeric reduces low density lipids in blood it prevents heart attack. It is to be stressed that present day food and sedentary lifestyle leads to high lipids level and obesity. Hence turmeric has a major role.

Research :

Even though Ayurveda texts explained the superiority of turmeric as medicine, modern research has thrown more light on turmeric. In  2005 Wall Street Journal had published an article “common Indian spice stirs hope “.There explained the miraculous properties of turmeric scientifically. Still there is something more to know about turmeric. There is a collection of more than 256 research papers on turmeric only. It is in the national medical library of America.

Summary :

  1. Used as application for wounds to heal faster.
  2. Prevents dental caries, strengthen teeth
  3. Used in Alzheimer’s prevention and management
  4. Prevents cancer, spread of cancer to body parts and ageing.
  5. Beneficial in diabetecs to reduce sugar levels.
  6. To improve glow of skin
  7. Painkiller in arthritis conditions
  8. With honey Reduces cough with expectoration
  9. reduces cholesterol and chances of heart attack
  10. Properties proved by medical research.

    Turmeric
    Turmeric root, powder