Turmeric has in recent years become very popular among those who care about good health, with recent research showing that there are many benefits from its use in the treatment of different health conditions like cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant and has a tough brown skin and a deep orange flesh. It was often called Indian saffron because of that same deep yellow-orange color and, throughout its long history, has been used as a spice, healing remedy, and textile dye.

You can use turmeric in cooking on a regular basis for its health benefits or you can take it as a supplement.

Things to Remember When Using a Turmeric Supplement

• It should be 95% pure curcumin extract at around 50mg a tablet.
• It should also have a natural enteric coating, so the benefit is not lost by the time it reaches the upper intestine in your stomach.
• Turmeric is not easily absorbed on its own but with the right combination, you really start to see the benefits. It can be mixed with piperine, green tea, or ginkgo biloba extract. A few grains of black pepper or one twentieth to one-quarter of a teaspoon can boost turmeric’s absorption by up to 2000%. One way to take the black pepper is with some good fat.
• You need some healthy fat with your turmeric anyway. This is because turmeric is fat-soluble. Coconut oil, ghee, or extra virgin olive oil enable the curcumin to be directly absorbed into the bloodstream, through the lymphatic system while bypassing the liver. The less curcumin that is exposed to the enzymes and remains in a free form, the longer it stays in the body doing its good work.
• Finally, heat is an important component for improving absorption by increasing turmeric’s bio-availability. It is harder to include heat if you take your dose as a supplement but easier to do so if you use turmeric in your cooking. Your health can benefit If you pop in a quarter to half a teaspoon of turmeric every time you cook something in your pan, added to a little warm healthy fat.

Related: How to Optimize Curcumin Absorption – With Golden Milk Tea Recipe

The Health Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric can help treat a wide variety of conditions including flatulence, jaundice, menstrual problems, blood in the urine, toothache, bruises, chest pain, and colic.

It is an effective treatment for inflammatory bowel disease, provides relief for rheumatoid arthritis, help for cystic fibrosis sufferers, and is thought to inhibit cancer cell growth and metastases.

Related: Garlic – The Most Amazing Herb On The Planet

But that is not all…

Here is a long list of twenty other suggested health benefits

1. It is a natural antiseptic and antibacterial agent, useful in disinfecting cuts and burns.
2. When combined with cauliflower, it has shown to prevent prostate cancer and stop the growth of existing prostate cancer.
3. Turmeric prevented breast cancer from spreading to the lungs in mice while turmeric has also shown promise in slowing the progression of multiple sclerosis in mice.
4. It may prevent melanoma and even cause existing melanoma cells to self-destruct.
5. The spice reduces the risk of childhood leukemia.
6. Turmeric is a natural liver de-toxifier.
7. It may prevent and slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by removing amyloid plaque build-up in the brain.
8. Using turmeric may prevent metastases from occurring in many different forms of cancer.
9. It is a potent natural anti-inflammatory that works as well as many anti-inflammatory drugs but without the side effects.
10. The curcumin component in turmeric provides one of the best natural painkillers, helping to block pain while fighting inflammation. Turmeric is a useful arthritis fighter, canceling the neurotransmitters from being sent to the brain.
11. As well as reducing pain, inflammation and stiffness in rheumatoid and oosteoarthritis it also treats bursitis. Turmeric is rich in anti-inflammatory properties.
12. It may aid in fat metabolism and help in weight management.
13. Turmeric has long been used in Chinese medicine as a treatment for depression.
14. If pain and discomfort in the joints are a problem for you, consider taking turmeric internally and applying H-Arthritis therapy externally.
15. It boosts the effects of chemo drug paclitaxel while reducing the drug’s side effects.
16. Promising studies are underway on the effects of turmeric on pancreatic cancer.
17. Studies are ongoing in the positive effects of turmeric on multiple myeloma.
18. Turmeric has been shown to stop the growth of new blood vessels in tumors.
19. The root speeds up wound healing and assists in re-modelling of damaged skin.
20. Turmeric could even help in the treatment of psoriasis and other inflammatory skin conditions.

Whatever condition or set of symptoms you are experiencing, it is always wise to get a medical diagnosis.

A Word of Warning

This spice should not be used by people with gallstones or bile obstruction. Though turmeric is often used by pregnant women, it is important to consult with a doctor first as turmeric can be a uterine stimulant.