Turmeric, the main spice in curry, is arguably the most powerful herb on the planet at fighting and potentially reversing disease. It has so many healing properties that currently there have been 6,235 peer-reviewed articles published proving the benefits of turmeric and one of its renowned healing compounds curcumin.
This puts turmeric on top of the list as one of the most frequently mentioned medicinal herbs in all of science and the next most popular studied herbs include garlic, cinnamon, ginseng, ginger and milk thistle.
Of the 6000+ studies referencing curcumin, the most interesting finding is that when turmeric is compared to conventional medicine its benefits equal that of many pharmaceutical medications.
Turmeric Benefits Trump Medications, with no side effects!
When examining the research, turmeric benefits go beyond that of these 10 drugs:
1. Anticoagulants/Antiplatelets
Medical intervention generally includes some of the following medications to slow and prevent blood clots; Aspirin, Clopidogrel (Plavix), Ibuprofen, Coumadin. Unfortunately, for people with conditions that are treated by these drugs (i.e. deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism), this approach may not always be the wisest decision. The risks associated with anticoagulants abound and include everything from back pain to headaches to difficulty breathing.
2. Anti-depressants
Although few studies have been conducted on humans, dozens of research trials have proven that turmeric is especially effective in correcting depression symptoms. To address this issue, the journal Phytotherapy Research published the results of an amazing, innovative study this past year. The study took 60 volunteers diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD), and split the group to determine how patients treated by curcumin fared against fluoxetine (Prozac) and a combination of the two. Not only was it discovered that all patients tolerated curcumin well, but they discovered curcumin was as effective as Prozac in managing depression.
3. Anti-inflammatories
Arguably, the most powerful aspect of curcumin is its ability to control inflammation. The journal Oncogene published the results of a study that evaluated several anti-inflammatory compounds, and found that aspirin and ibuprofen were less effective than curcumin, which is among the most effective anti-inflammatory compounds in the world.
Diseases today such as cancer, ulcerative colitis, arthritis, high cholesterol and chronic pain can be the result of inflammation.
4. Arthritis management
Because curcumin is known for its powerful anti-inflammatory and pain reducing characteristics, a study was conducted on 45 rheumatoid arthritis patients to compare the benefits of curcumin in turmeric to arthritis drugs (diclofenac sodium), that put people at risk of developing leaky gut and heart disease. The results of the trial were eye-opening, as the curcumin group showed the highest percentage of improvement in overall [Disease Activity Score] scores and these scores were significantly better than the patients in the diclofenac sodium group.
5. Cancer treatment
A number of laboratory studies on cancer cells have shown that curcumin does have anticancer effects. It seems to be able to kill cancer cells and prevent more from growing. It has the best effects on breast cancer, bowel cancer, stomach cancer and skin cancer cells. Recently, curcumin has received a great deal of focus because of it’s ability to reduce tumor size and kill cancer cells.
6. Diabetes management
For lowering blood sugar and reversing insulin resistance there’s arguably no better natural treatment than adding turmeric into your diet. A recent study discovered that curcumin in turmeric is literally 400 times more potent than Metformin (a common diabetes drug) in activating AMPK which improves insulin sensitivity which can help reverse Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetic neuropathy and retinopathy are one of the most common complications of diabetes, due to damaged blood vessels. A study found that supplementing with curcumin will delay this horrible complication, because of its anti-inflammatory, & antioxidant properties.
7. Gastrointestinal treatments
people with digestive and stomach complaints become intolerant to medical interventions because the stomach flora is already compromised and drugs can literally tear up the mucosal lining. All the studies evaluating curcumin’s ability to manage inflammatory bowel disease (IBS, Crohn’s disease, and Ulcerative Colitis), found that many patients were able to stop taking their prescribed corticosteroids because their condition improved so dramatically.
8. Cholesterol regulators
One of the reasons heart disease is such a problem in the U.S. is that people are developing pre-diabetes (excessive blood sugar) at an alarming rate. In turn, diabetics and non-diabetics alike are suffering from a common complication called oxidative stress, which damages the inside of blood vessels. Because of this damage to the arteries, cholesterol begins to build up to patch up the damaged areas which leads to high levels of LDL cholesterol.
Traditionally, statin drugs (like Lipitor) are widely known to harm the kidneys and liver and cause a number of deadly side effects. They do bring cholesterol down but never address that actual cause which is oxidative stress that is caused by high blood sugar levels and inflammation. A study done by Drugs in R & D found that curcumin was equal or more effective than diabetes medications at reducing oxidative stress and inflammation in the treatment of high cholesterol.
Studies like these are causing pharmaceutical companies to try and design a synthetic form of curcumin that unfortunately, will not work as well as the real thing.
9. Painkillers
One of the more widely accepted properties of curcumin in scientific communities is its ability to manage pain. Journal of Pharmacology published research that discovered curcumin naturally activates the opioid system in diabetic rats.
10. Steroids
Lastly, lets take a look at how turmeric benefits the many conditions normally treated by corticosteroids such as:
Psoriasis Lupus Rheumatoid arthritis Scleroderma Chronic pain
If you’re in the position where you must be on prescription medications, don’t discount the need to include ample amounts of fresh, organic turmeric into your diets because it will help reduce the adverse affects of the medicine.
Turmeric Side Effects
Some people have reported allergic reactions to turmeric, especially after skin exposure. Typically this is experienced as a mild, itchy rash. In addition, high doses of turmeric have been observed to cause; Nausea Diarrhea Hyperactive gallbladder contractions Hypotension (lowered blood pressure) Turmeric may interfere with anti-coagulants like aspirin, clopidogrel and warfarin.
So do your research before you start taking turmeric at some random dose and frequency.