The Golden Milk!

Turmeric has always been widely used; the Indians (with the Bindi, not the feathers) have used the spice for both medicinal and culinary purposes for thousands of years and there are several good reasons why this spice has continued to be a favorite around the world. As you read on, you will find Turmeric's main component, Curcumin, is truly the star of the show.

1) Curcumin: Intro

The main and most active ingredient which has anti-inflammatory properties and is a strong anti-oxidant. Chronic inflammation can contribute to many Western diseases such as asthma, hepatitis, allergies, and auto-immune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Celiac disease, and lupus, (to name a few). Curcumin has the ability to lower or almost completely rid the body of such inflammation so the human body may rid itself of the toxins and begin healing any damage to the tissues and organs.

However. it is only about three percent by weight when it comes to the makeup of Turmeric itself and is not easily absorbed into the bloodstream. But the good news is that it is, in fact, fat-soluble and is best taken in a supplement with a fatty meal or with piperine (found in black pepper).

2) Turmeric can increase antioxidant capacity within the body.

Oxidative damage is believed by experts to be one of the causes of aging and other diseases. This is due mostly to what are called "free radicals" which are highly reactive molecules without paired electrons that do damage to DNA, proteins, and fatty acids within the human body, thus causing aging and other diseases.

The antioxidants found in turmeric (as previously stated, Curcumin is the star of the show) help to neutralize the free radicals thus protecting your body and aiding in its ability to boost the activity of its own natural antioxidant abilities.

3) Lowers Your Risk of Heart Disease

Heart disease has been proven to be the #1 killer of Americans. Since it has been found that a myriad of reasons contributes to why heart disease can occur in many Americans, Curcumin may aid in stopping some of the processes. One is the improvement of the endothelium, which is the lining of the blood vessels; the dysfunction of the tissue can, in fact, contribute to possible heart disease.

Curcumin also plays a role in decreasing oxidation and inflammation as stated above which can also cause heart disease.

After taking Curcumin, some candidates for heart disease may see a 65 percent decrease of risk of getting heart disease.

4) Can Aid in Preventing and Possibly Treating Cancer

Curcumin, due to its many anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, has unsurprising effects on cancer treatment. Studies have shown that it can kill off cancer cells, decrease both angiogeneses, (growth of new blood vessels in tumors), and metastasis (growth/spreading of cancer).

While most of these studies must be tested thoroughly, there has been evidence found when it comes to preventing cancer altogether, specifically within the digestive system, possibly preventing those such as colorectal cancer. In a 30 day study, 44 men who had lesions in their colon that had the potential to become cancerous were given 4 grams of Curcumin every day and at the end of the trial, saw results of reduction of lesions by 40 percent!

5) May Also Aid in the Prevention and Treatment of Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's is the world's leading detrimental neurodegenerative disease which can lead to dementia and sadly, there is no cure or even much treatment; therefore, the prevention of such a horrible and degenerative disease is of the utmost importance.

However, Curcumin has been found to cross the blood-brain barrier which is formed by brain endothelial cells that line the Cerebral Microvasculature, an important mechanism in order to protect the brain from any neural dysfunction. By crossing the blood-brain barrier, it is able to enter the brain and blood vessels of the organ in order to aid in cleaning up messes that can bring about Alzheimer's such as oxidation and inflammation as well as what are called Amyloid Plaques, which are tangles of proteins that can be cleaned up by Curcumin and its properties, thus eliminating another contributor of Alzheimer's Disease.

After doing my research I admit that I was blown away by such possible benefits of the consumption of turmeric and its "star", Curcumin itself. For someone who is at risk for heart disease, cancer, and alzheimer's and already suffers from asthma due to my genetics, I find myself oddly and increasingly anxious to get a few hundred pounds of Turmeric to keep in my pantry. Nature can be a wondrous thing and unknown to many of us, we have just scraped the surface of what Mother Nature may have in her pantry when it comes to battling diseases and finding treatments and hopefully cures through plant-based medicines.

I think I'll go make myself a turmeric latte.

Anyone else interested?

Check out the link below to find a recipe I found myself a few months ago.

Happy Reading!

References:

1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric#section7

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12162730

The Golden Milk