Turmeric: The Golden Goddess

Could Indian Food Help Fight Pain?

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Within the cornucopia of medicinal plants, few possess such a wide spectrum of qualities and medicinal uses as turmeric. It has been used to treat a myriad of disease and ailments around the world for countless centuries.  The active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin, is known for its powerful anti-inflammatory effectiveness, but is also praised as an alternative analgesic, antibacterial, antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-tumor, anti-allergic with many other healing qualities now being recognized and understood by modern science.

The fragrant, yummy dishes featuring turmeric has more going for it than just flavor. Curcumin gives turmeric its orange-yellow color and acts as an anti-inflammatory that involves blocking cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), the target of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Celebrex (celecoxib) and Motrin (ibuprofen). It has even been linked through research to help fight against cancer by neutralizing those substances and conditions which can cause cancer, helping a cell retain its integrity if threatened by a tumor, and if a tumor does grow the curcumins can often destroy it.

Turmeric has also been advocated for use in treating diabetes, as curcumin can increase insulin levels. As a powerful anti-inflammatory herb in supplement form, turmeric has been shown to be helpful in the treatment of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, injuries, trauma, and stiffness from both under activity and over activity. Whether suffering from an acute or chronic disease, aches and pains, bumps and bruises, or as preventative maintenance, turmeric can and should be utilized by everyone on a regular basis.

Through an independent testing lab, turmeric supplements were tested for quality, indicated label amounts and purity. One product tested lacked the expected amount of turmeric and is therefore unsafe for consumption: