Turmeric

We all know the benefits of Turmeric and how effective it is. Since its popularity turmeric has become the target of food fraud. This is prevalent in the most popular of items, not only turmeric but cinnamon, honey, and olive oil are great examples of items that are being shipped into the US labeled as one thing but in fact are not pure. Turmeric coming out of Bangladesh has been treated with lead chromate. The same lead that is used to color paint for school buses, in 2019 they finally convinced the traders in the market to stop using this to enhance the color to bring a better price. This practice has been reduced but not completely eliminated. During the process of removing the skins and powdering the turmeric is where the lead chromate was usually added so powdered turmeric is more suspect than whole turmeric root. From learning about honey coming into the United States I can assume that importers could also be contaminating the supply. Like supplements that you can buy that are using fillers such as cellulose which in and of itself cellulose is not harmful and we consume cellulose fibers all the time, but if you are paying for a supplement do you really want fillers in it?

To make sure you have quality turmeric then you can grow your own and it is a long process but to ensure quality it may be worth it. I also know that Asian and Indian grocery stores do sell it and you can usually find it in local health food stores. https://www.wikihow.com/Grow-Turmeric has good instructions for growing your own.

As with anything, prolonged use and high doses are not going to be beneficial for you. Using it in food everyday is acceptable as you do not get the medicinal doses you would if you are taking supplements. The other problem is that the active properties are not readily bioavailable. Meaning that it is hard for our bodies to digest and use to our benefit. Now we know that adding black pepper activates the properties and does help with the bioavailability of the root up to 2000 percent. Turmeric is absorbed quickly, disperses quickly and testing of tissues shows no trace of curcumin in them. Minimal traces of it can be found in your body waste meaning that all you take in is used as needed and very little is passed through your system.

 I also have been told by an Indian lady that you also need fat, which is why they cook turmeric with black pepper and coconut oil. That was not proven but it is worth a try. The United States, China, Japan and South Korea have all studied the claims and uses of turmeric as an anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, and antioxidant.

The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties have shown to be effective against arthritis and the pain associated with it. It can slow and even stop the progress of the disease. It clears plaque from the blood vessels and will lower the risk of heart disease, and blood pressure,it also reduces cholesterol levels. It is a blood thinner also so if you are already on medication for anticoagulants caution should be used. Oxidative stress is closely related to inflammation and in fact one can cause the other. A number of factors are in play here and I am trying to keep this simple but they found that certain genes trigger oxidative stress and inflammation. That leads to many chronic diseases. Like Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, multiple sclerosis,cerebral injuries, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome(any and everything related to diabetes),cancer, allergy, asthma, bronchitis, colitis,arthritis, renal ischemia, psoriasis, diabetes,obesity, depression, fatigue and HIV all can be stopped by using Tumeric. It stops the chain of events that leads to these chronic issues.

It also will be effective in stopping chronic problems from environmental pollutants, chemical, physical, mechanical, and physiological stress, high glucose fatty acids, ultraviolet radiation,and cigarette smoke.

Standard use for Turmeric root as an anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant was tested and shown to be useful in stopping inflammation by telling the cells to stop a virus or bacteria before it takes hold and by treating recent inflammation sites.  It has the possibility of stopping chronic inflammatory diseases. As an antioxidant it interferes with proteins that trigger inflammation. It stops and neutralizes free radicals that can be the reason for chronic inflammation. It has also shown to stop a part of an enzyme that is in a gene that is responsible for tumor growth.

In all the studies they found that these properties will also protect your brain from diseases and improve the function you have. Neurodegenerative diseases like depression, dementia, Alzheimer's, Parkinsons, multiple sclerosis, and Huntingtons and to a lesser degree epilepsy.

It increases a growth hormone for the brain and that will help heal it from these diseases. Curcumin can breach the blood brain barrier and helps clear plaque of build up. It will also improve memory and cognitive performance, encouraging growth of new neurons to improve brain function overall. 

Overall this just may be a miracle herb. If used correctly and frequently It seems that the NIH has known since at least 2017 how effective this could be in treating chronic diseases.