Say Superfood! Turmeric's Natural Healing Properties

“All that glisters is not gold, Often have you heard that told,”  thanks Mr. William Shakespeare, we will keep that quote in mind, but it might not be true anymore, not when our health is concerned.  In fact, all that glitters is gold, Tumeric gold that is, at least in the natural supplement and health market.

The medicinal history of turmeric as a healing and vitality product began in ancient times. Nearly all practitioners of health and medicine recognize tumeric for its exceptional health benefits, and recommend turmeric to their patients for a vast number of health disorders and ailments. Tumeric is considered a “superfood, ” a special category of food found in nature with a richness of nutrients needed by the body.  It seems that Tumeric, which is harvested primarily overseas,  has the potential to become the latest health craze. Imports of Tumeric into the US. have more than doubled since

2007, aided in part by the mainstream demand of natural foods, popularity of cold pressed juices and other lifestyle products.

What exactly is Tumeric?

Tumeric is the root of a perennial plant of the ginger family, native to southeast India and is also know as the quintessential spice and color of Indian curry. The active compound in the tumeric root and also responsible for that bright yellow/golden color is Curcumin, a proven, powerful and natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.

How does it make me healthier?

Curcumin’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are well researched and understood. Moreover, the health benefits of the Tumeric plant is backed up by thousands of years of traditional use in Asia and India.  Claims of many extreme remedies, such as cancer cures and depression treatment are known to be made and associated to use of the product in natural foods and remedies.

This is what we know for sure:

Base on clinical trials and other preliminary medical research tumeric has shown promising results in at least six different areas.

1) The fight against cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society Curcumin “interferes with several important molecular pathways involved in cancer development, growth and spread,” and can boost the effects of chemotherapy in animals.

Source : http://www.cancer.org/treatment/treatmentsandsideeffects/complementaryandalternativemedi- cine/herbsvitaminsandminerals/turmeric

2) Overall Digestive and Gut Health.

Anti-inflammatory compounds in Tumeric may be responsible for curing many common digestive disorders, such as IBS and overall gut health.  

Source : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2699615?dopt=Abstract

3) Prevention of heart attacks on post-bypass surgery patients.
Journal of Cardiology revealed antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of Curcumin may contribute to as much as a 65 percent lower chance of heart attack among bypass patients.

Source : http://www.ajconline.org/article/S0002-9149(12)00846-6/abstract

4) Delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes

The compound Curcumin seems to prevent abnormally high blood sugar levels to progress into type 2 diabetes by fighting damage to the body cells.

Source : http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/35/11/2121

5) Promotes repair to stems cells in the brain

According to the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine, Curcumin inhibits microglia activation, a property that may be useful in treating neurodegenerative disease.
Source : http://stemcellres.com/content/5/4/100

6) Reduced inflammation and joint pain

Curcumin has shown to be just as effective in reducing pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis. This might be attributed to its aniti- inflammatory properties.

Source : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19678780

Overall, this superfood and “golden root” is gaining popularity quickly, and with good reason. Tumeric, and more importantly Curcumin, is an essential part of a balanced diet, and should be incorporated as often as possible,  Although there are many tumeric products and extracts on the market, of course not all are created equally.  The most effective form of Curcumin on the market today is the medical grade BCM-95®, an enhanced preparation of cur-cumin was compared to that of turmeric 95% extract and to a formula containing curcumin, lecithin and piperine.  This formulation can be found in many physicians grade and medical products, and over the counter from clinical grade supplement companies such as BalanceDiet, with their “Super Health 19” curcumin product, containing pure BCM-95.

Research on curcumin ad the benefits of Tumeric is exploding with more than 4000 published reports presently available. An extremely wide array of biological activities has been scientifically documented. In addition to its antioxidant properties, curcumin acts on multiple targets and at multiple levels in the human body. Curcumin has many uses including for heart health, cognitive health, and blood sugar control. It is also effective for cellular health and can induce the death of harmful cells. While common drugs act as immune suppressants; curcumin actually supports immune health. Why not incorporate it into your diet today? Our #19 Super Health Uses the Curcumin extract of Turmeric as a primary active ingredient.