Turmeric is not just an ingredient to add to any meal for flavor or color, but it also has many health-related benefits. Suppose you take a specific quantity of turmeric in your everyday meal routine according to your doctor’s recommendation. In that case, you can’t suffer from severe health conditions and not need to spend money on expensive treatment.
What is turmeric?
Turmeric is a commonly used spice that takes from the roots of Curcuma longa. It consists of a chemical called curcumin, which can be used for many health treatments and in daily meals for better flavor and color. Turmeric is a relative of the ginger family.
Health benefits of Turmeric
These are the following benefits of turmeric according to the research:
1. Fight with depression
Research indicates that curcumin can improve the BDNF level ( A BDNF is a protein called brain-derived neurotrophic factor that is reduced, and the hippocampus, which helps in learning and memorization, begins shrinking.)Another research study indicates that curcumin can also improve the levels of serotonin and dopamine, which are chemicals in the human brain that control mood and enhance other body functions. Turmeric benefits play a significant role in overcoming your depression and improving your health daily.
2. Prevent viral infection
If you have some viral infection, take a cup of turmeric tea. Curcumin in turmeric can help you fight several viruses like herpes, flu, etc. Remember, turmeric contains only about 3% curcumin, and your body doesn’t absorb curcumin efficiently, so drinking the occasional cup of tea won’t solve all your problems. (Keep in mind all the research is done in the laboratory, not on humans.)
3. Reduce acne
According to its antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory characteristics, using a face mask of turmeric can help treat inflammatory skin types like acne, injury, or atopic dermatitis. However, a few people may experience contact dermatitis if they use this spice on their skin.
4. Reduce pain during premenstrual syndrome
Recent research shows that turmeric’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties can help ease harmful premenstrual syndrome by reducing inflammation. Research on guinea pigs and rats indicates that turmeric can also cause relief from menstrual cramps.
5. Reduce Arthritis Pain
There are many types of arthritis, but most involve inflammation in the joints. Due to its anti-inflammatory characteristics, Turmeric can reduce joint pain, inflammation, and stiffness. If you want to take turmeric for your joint pain, you need to eat turmeric with black pepper for better absorption of curcumin.
6. Helps fight cancer
Research shows that turmeric can be a very beneficial herb for cancer treatment. Curcumin also helps reduce the growth and development of cancer. Studies indicate that turmeric helps in the death of cancerous cells, lessens angiogenesis( development of new blood vessels in tumors), and decreases metastasis (cancer growth).
7. Helps to improve memory
Researchers indicate that the curcumin antioxidant characteristics and decreased brain inflammation can lead to a slower decline in neurocognition, the ability to think and rationalize. Clinical research indicates that if adults take 90 milligrams of curcumin twice a day for 18 months, it helps improve memory performance instead of dementia.
8. Anti-aging properties
Turmeric benefits skin care due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. For those people who find natural remedies for their skin-care issues, turmeric is best to help reduce redness and alleviate acne or wounds. Turmeric also can slow the process of ageing and alleviate prominent signs of ageing like wrinkles. Its antioxidant properties help to save skin from radical damage that can be the reason for wrinkles, age spots, and other types of skin harm. Turmeric also contains Vitamin E, which is used in anti-ageing medicine.
9. Reduce inflammation
For long-term conditions, when inflammation starts to damage tissues of your body, turmeric may be suitable for your health. In a study involving patients with ulcerative colitis, Patients who took 2 grams of curcumin in a day along with prescribed medicine were more likely to remain in remission than those who only took the medication. But turmeric takes time to heal your body from damage.
10. Reduce Pain
curcumin’s anti-inflammatory characteristics can benefit various health conditions like pain, asthma, and reduced movement in people with osteoarthritis. However, more research is still being done regarding turmeric’s health benefits.
Conclusion
If you take turmeric in the correct quantity or according to the doctor’s suggestion, you don’t need to spend money on expensive treatment or medication. Turmeric’s most active compound, curcumin, can improve heart health, reduce depression symptoms and arthritis, and stop Alzheimer’s and cancer. Curcumin contains anti-inflammatory or antioxidant properties that can be the reason for many turmeric health benefits. However, more studies are required regarding turmeric usage and benefits.