New Study: Turmeric Extract Puts Drugs to Shame

Millions turn to non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs) and analgesics, like Tylenol, for pain relief, but the regular, chronic use of these types of medications is associated with significant, and very serious, side effects such as cardiovascular problems, gastrointestinal harm and kidney and/or liver damage. There are natural alternative that already exist that are as easily accessible and inexpensive as the spices found in your kitchen cupboard.

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    Turmeric (Curcuma longa), is a bright yellow spice. Even more potent than its volatile oil is the yellow or orange pigment of turmeric, which is called curcumin. It’s a powerful natural spice that has long been used in the Chinese and Indian systems of medicine as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat a variety of conditions, including flatulence, jaundice, menstrual difficulties, bloody urine, hemorrhage, toothache, bruises, chest pain, and colic.

Despite many years of investigation as a lead drug compound, and the availability of thousands of preclinical studies indicating turmeric’s therapeutic value, many people haven’t realize that this common kitchen spice may offer a suitable drug alternative for common health conditions.

We’re living in a world that depends on popping pills to treat illnesses and it’s also affecting how investors spend their money.

Not many companies are willing to do the human research on the health benefits of turmeric, mainly due to lack of capital available to fund expensive clinical trials. A study that confirm turmeric’s medicinal value was published in the Indonesian Journal of Internal Medicine in April, 2012. The study found the curcuminoid extract of turmeric was able to reduce inflammation in patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis.

To read the entire study click here! The results are astonishing and very promising. I urge you to pass this article on and reblogg. It’s very important to spread the word about this Super-spice.

Numerous studies have looked into this potential cancer-fighting link with curcumin, and promising results. For instance, curcumin has been found to:

    Inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells
    Inhibit the transformation of cells from normal to tumor
    Help your body destroy mutated cancer cells so they cannot spread throughout your body
    Decrease inflammation
    Enhance liver function
    Inhibit the synthesis of a protein thought to be instrumental in tumor formation
    Prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth

Other readings on Turmeric:

Food Fact: Turmeric
Research conducted on Curcumin/Turmeric
Dr. Andrew Weil/Huffington Post
Nagabhushan M, Bhide SV. Curcumin as an inhibitor of cancer. J Am Coll Nutr. 1992 Apr;11(2):192-8. 1992. PMID:1578097.

Research: Curcumin Is A Triple Negative Breast Cancer Killer

A former model named Jessica Richards’ battled with cancer. In her book The Topic of Cancer, Richards explains how following a strict metabolic diet and receiving high-dose intravenous (IV) injections of vitamin C has helped successfully reverse the progression of her breast cancer, to the shock of many conventional doctors. Vitamin C is natural and there’s a lot of controversy surrounding it with the FDA because they’re not able to patent it. Why? It’s natural! They cannot make billions off of it. Now, I’m a believer in healing the body with food and this is a remarkable story.

I came across a study on Curcumin conducted by Xiao-Dong Sun, Xing-E Liu and Dong-Sheng Huang in China that I had to share it with you all. I’m amazed whenever I see studies like these that utilizes natural spices, fruits, and vegetables to heal our body of aliments. Well if you didn’t know both the ancient Chinese and Indians system of medicine have recognized curcumin’s beneficial properties for thousands of years, and now modern research is showing it may be one of nature’s most powerful potential healers.

In this study the compound found in turmeric known as curcumin, which gives the spice its characteristic saffron-like color, is capable of inducing programmed cell death (apoptosis) within triple negative breast cancer cells. For those suffering through or recovering from treatment right now, or trying to decide what to do with a new diagnosis, this latest Chinese study is promising. This spice can be used in many recipes and it’s very delicious.


This is what it looks like when it’s uprooted, dried, and then pounded into a powder form.

In India where turmeric is widely used, the prevalence of four common U.S. cancers — colon, breast, prostate and lung — is 10 times lower. In fact, prostate cancer, which is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in U.S. men, is rare in India and this is attributed, in part, to the curcumin in turmeric.

Numerous studies have looked into this potential cancer-fighting link, with promising results. For instance, curcumin has been found to:

Inhibit the proliferation of tumor cells
Inhibit the transformation of cells from normal to tumor
Help your body destroy mutated cancer cells so they cannot spread throughout your body
Decrease inflammation
Enhance liver function
Inhibit the synthesis of a protein thought to be instrumental in tumor formation
Prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth
And according to researchers from the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, curcumin blocks a key biological pathway needed for development of melanoma and other cancers.

The spice actually stops laboratory strains of melanoma from proliferating and pushes the cancer cells to commit suicide by shutting down nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB), a powerful protein known to induce abnormal inflammatory response that leads to an assortment of disorders such as arthritis and cancer.

To get the full benefits that curcumin has to offer, you will want to look for a turmeric extract with at least 95% curcuminoids that contains only 100% certified organic ingredients.

For many this is a more convenient method to obtain the potential health benefits, especially if it is from a high-quality organic source, and also if you don’t particularly enjoy the taste of curry. As an aside, curcumin is not only beneficial for osteoarthritis … research is also emerging showing it may play a beneficial role in the following diseases:

Cystic fibrosis
Type 2 diabetes
Crohn’s disease
Psoriasis
Rheumatoid arthritis
Cataracts
Gallstones
Muscle regeneration
Inflammatory bowel disease

I use curry and turmeric to cook with all the time for my family. We love the taste and it’s very healthy for you as you can see here.

If you are able to find turmeric rhizomes in the grocery store, you can make your own fresh turmeric powder by drying and then grinding it into a fine consistency.

Resources

More on tumeric – http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/662.html
Osteoporosis – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21194249
http://www.ift.org/food-technology/daily-news/2011/january/11/curcumin-may-relieve-pain-inflammation-for-osteoarthritis-patients.aspx
Alzheimer disease – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18204357?dopt=Abstract
Anti -inflmmatory – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12067569?dopt=Abstract
Chinese Study –http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23023821