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Turmeric powder is made from the Curcuma longa
shrub by fist drying and then crushing the stalk of the plant.
Turmeric has been cultivated in Indonesia and India since 3000 B.C.
and is an important part of culture in the East. In India turmeric
is mixed with lime to make a red powder called kunkuma, and in a
paste form, Hindu women apply it as a bindi, a
small dot between the eyebrows, which is the area of the sixth
chakra.
Curcumin, turmeric’s yellow
pigment, has powerful antioxidant
properties that protect healthy cells from free radicals
that can cause cancer. Extensive research over the last 50 years
has indicated the potential of curcumin to not only prevent, but
also treat cancer. The anticancer potential of
this spice is in its ability to inhibit production of a number of
tumor cells. Laboratory studies have demonstrated that curcumin has
the potential to fight tumors occurring from
prostate, breast, skin, colon, stomach and liver cancers. In a
human study involving chronic smokers ingesting turmeric over a
period of thirty days, results showed a significant drop in the
cancer causing compounds of tobacco smoke.
Studies have shown that curcumin
also possesses powerful anti-inflammatory
properties, by inhibiting levels of cyclooxygenase-2, an
enzyme instrumental in the creation of molecules that causes
inflammation. Clinical studies have also suggested that curcumin
has a positive effect on rheumatoid
arthritis.
Other ongoing research has indicated that curcumin
may help in the prevention of heart disease, Alzheimer’s
and Parkinson’s disease, and the ability to lower
cholesterol.
While further human studies are necessary, evidence
to date looks promising for the healing powers of this golden spice
from India.
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