Turmeric- the wonderful Indian spice with an abundance of health benefits: Turmeric is very commonly used in Indian kitchens. Our parents and grandparents had often talked about the benefits of having turmeric in our food, the importance of drinking “Turmeric Milk” and applying turmeric paste on the skin as a face mask. This spice has a long history of traditional medicinal uses, and is also known for its vibrant yellow colour that is used in curries, cheese, butter and even in cosmetics.
Turmeric is widely used in medicines because of its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. But, it doesn’t have the capacity to be absorbed by our blood so it doesn’t get stored in our body. So, the regular consumption of turmeric is helpful, having it once in a while doesn’t make much difference. Adding some black pepper to turmeric can help it to be easily absorbable by the blood. There are countless health benefits of turmeric, let’s have a look at some of them.
Benefits Of Turmeric On Heart, Brain & Mental Health
1. Turmeric Is good for the heart
Turmeric regulates blood pressure and reduces the risk of blood clotting by acting on the membranes of the heart. It also protects our hearts from age-related chronic heart diseases. It improves the working of the inner lining of our heart; reduces inflammation and oxidation that protects our heart. It has been noted that curcumin can reduce the risk of heart attack by almost 65%.
2. Turmeric lowers the risk of brain diseases
One of the major benefits of turmeric is that curcumin helps in the production of brain cells by affecting the growth hormone or protein in our brain, which is known as a brain-derived neurotrophic factor. This helps in reversing the effects of certain brain diseases, improves memory and makes us smarter. This protein also keeps our nerve cells healthy and delays age-related degeneration of the brain.
3. Turmeric can treat depression
Depression is also affected by the protein which is responsible for the growth of brain cells. The imbalance of that protein can be cured by curcumin, which will reduce the risk of depression. It also helps in treating depressive disorders. Curcumin boosts the production of protein which can enhance our mood.
Benefits of Turmeric On Skin & Hair
4. Benefits of turmeric on skin
Turmeric is often used in face packs or on cuts and burns on the skin. The anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and antioxidants present in turmeric – all work like wonders for the skin. It slows down ageing and treats acne and other diseases. It also prevents skin-damaging from radiation treatments.
5. Benefits of turmeric on hair
Turmeric’s anti-fungal and antibacterial properties can treat scalp conditions and irritations such as dandruff, fungus, dryness, and itchiness. The spice creates a healthier environment on your scalp and promotes healthier hair as it reduces breakage and hair loss.
Benefits of Turmeric For Weightloss
6. Benefits Of Turmeric On Weight Loss
Turmeric has certain anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce inflammation in the body, which is one of the factors causing obesity. According to a study, curcumin, an anti-oxidant can actually suppress fat tissue growth. Another way in which turmeric helps in losing weight is by regulating sugar levels and further preventing insulin resistance. This results in excess fat that is not retained in the body. Safe consumption of turmeric increases the bile production present in the stomach. Bile is a digestive juice that helps in emulsifying fat and metabolism.
Some More Benefits Of Turmeric On Health
7. Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory effect on health
Turmeric has many medicinal benefits, the compound known as curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric. It is anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants. It is only 3% of turmeric’s weight. It helps in curing inflammatory bowel diseases, but it is poorly absorbed by the body. Without inflammation, it is easy to control the pathogens that increase the risk of certain chronic diseases.
8. Turmeric & its medicinal properties
Turmeric has been used as a medicine since ancient times in India. Curcumin that is present in turmeric is the compound that can help us fight many diseases because it is rich in antioxidants and is anti-inflammatory. Effective anti-inflammatory medicine like aspirin and ibuprofen has curcumin in them. Turmeric also helps in treating diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, etc.
9. Can prevent cancer
The antioxidants present in turmeric fight the radicals and toxins in our bodies and reduce the risk of developing cancer. It can even treat cancer by controlling the development, growth and spread of cancer at the molecular level. It reduces the risk of colorectal cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer and gastric cancers.
10. Can prevent diabetes
It has been proven that turmeric can also help in treating type-1 and type-2 diabetes and reduce its risk too. The regular intake of curcumin can reduce the blood insulin level within 16 weeks. Its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties also lead to insulin resistance; controls sugar level and also reduces bad cholesterol levels.
11. Can ease the symptoms of osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis is becoming very common nowadays. It is caused because of inflammation in joints. Curcumin helps in controlling the inflammation and reducing the pain in the joints caused because of the inflammation. It also helps in treating rheumatoid arthritis which affects joints and spreads to other parts of the body.
12. Can protect eyes against degeneration
The eyesight also gets affected with increasing age; it can also lead to blindness which cannot be cured. Adding adequate curcumin to your diet can reduce the degeneration of the human eye and it is often used in certain eye drops too.
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Turmeric is really helpful in easing the symptoms of PMS, reducing the risk of tuberculosis, hepatitis, headache, jaundice, obesity, ringworm and even several gum related diseases. Consuming excess turmeric doesn’t really have any severe side effects but there can be certain mild side effects like nausea, dizziness, upset stomach or diarrhoea. People suffering from gallbladder problems, bleeding problems, infertility and iron deficiency should keep an eye on their daily intake. It can also be a little unsafe for pregnant and nursing women as it can put the pregnancy at risk.