Since ages, turmeric has been a crucial part of India kitchen by adding color and flavor to our daily meal. You probably know turmeric as the main spice in curry which has a warm, bitter taste to flavor or color curry powders, mustards, butters, and cheeses, but it has much more to offer which is very beneficial to our overall health. Moreover, it has a specific place in ancient Ayurveda which regards it one of the holiest items for curing many health problems along with skin diseases. Science says that the root of turmeric can heal many health problems which are widely used to make medicine. Turmeric is commonly used for conditions involving pain and inflammation, such as osteoarthritis. It is also used for hay fever, depression and high cholesterol. It contains a yellow-colored chemical called curcumin, which is often used to color foods and cosmetics.
Turmeric Health Benefits
Improves Cognitive Health
Perhaps one of the most important and interesting applications for turmeric is for cognitive health. Conditions like aging, dementia and conditions of the brain can be considered inflammation. The increase in these inflammatory mediators can cause damage to the brain cells or inhibit their function, and this can contribute to cognitive decline, memory loss, and other conditions. Turmeric helps you to get rid of all these problems for sure.
Improve Thyroid Functions
If you are also a victim of thyroid, turmeric juice can offer you a solution. The thyroid gland plays a crucial role in our overall health. If it is not operating at peak performance, it can produce life-altering symptoms that impact your health and happiness. Turmeric is a rich source of many vitamins and minerals, including Manganese. In fact, just 2 teaspoons provides 17% of your daily recommended intake of this vital mineral. What does manganese do for you? For one, it helps maintain proper thyroid function. It has been estimated that 200 million people in the world have some form of thyroid disease. In Canada, 30% of the population suffers from a thyroid condition. Of those, as many as 50% remain undiagnosed.
Can Help With Heart Disease and Cholesterol
The curcumin in turmeric is the thing that does the work here. Science said that curcumin works in a number of different ways to help with heart disease, as well. It helps with LDL cholesterol in two ways: one, it works as an antioxidant to prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, keeping it beneficial instead of harmful; two, it increases LDL receptors to give LDL cholesterol more places to go and do its job, preventing it from spending too long in our bloodstream and oxidizing.
Improve Liver Functions
The liver performs 500 different functions in the body and can therefore easily become overwhelmed. Fatty liver disease can occur through excessive alcohol consumption or, more commonly nowadays, through sugar consumption. It is becoming very common, and increasingly common in younger people. The good news is that by fixing up the diet to avoid refined sugars and things that break down easily into sugar, you can take a big step towards avoiding fatty liver. Curcumin also helps, though! It’s been shown to lower liver enzymes which are the markers that are used to measure liver function.
Works as Anti-inflammatory
Most people who think of inflammation think of arthritis—and turmeric, through its curcumin content, definitely helps the pain associated with this condition. In fact, it helps with Rheumatoid Arthritis as well! Its powerful antioxidant effects neutralize free radicals. Free radicals damage healthy cells and cell membranes, and they are quite prevalent in conditions like arthritis because they are responsible for causing the joint pain and damage. By neutralizing these free radicals, curcumin helps stop their spread throughout the body, protecting the cells and joints from their damaging effects. In fact, a recent study showed that the effects of curcumin on rheumatoid arthritis were comparable to those of a medical anti-inflammatory when dealing with morning stiffness and joint swelling.
A Good Source of Pigment Rich Vitamins
Turmeric is a good source of other vitamins and minerals, such as iron, fibre, vitamin B6, copper, and potassium. In just 2 teaspoons, it has 10% of your recommended iron intake. We know that iron is mainly an aid in our energy, since it helps metabolize proteins and plays a role in the production of hemoglobin and red blood cells. But it’s important to not just get iron from red meat, as this can actually cause a burden on the body. Turmeric is a great meat-free source of iron
