TURMERIC: MYTH OR MEDICINE? | LAYLA
- hederahelixscience
- Nov 9, 2020
- 3 min read
Have you noticed that some lattes, ice cream and smoothies may have a slightly tawny hue? That could be a sign of a secret ingredient: turmeric. This common spice is present in most health food aisles, in the form of pills and powders.
Turmeric, native to South Asia, is one of the fastest-growing dietary supplements. According to a report from Nutrition Business Journal in 2018, turmeric is estimated to have produced $328 million in sales in the United States, a more than sevenfold increase from a decade earlier .
Brightening up the pantries of many homes in India, the spice is intertwined into daily life, the cuisine, and cultural and healing traditions. A member of the ginger family, it has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for thousands of years. Apply turmeric to wounds, and it’s believed to fight infection. Furthermore, it is believed that when mixed with milk, it calms the mind and brings a tranquil and peaceful aura to your life. Its rhizome (underground stem) is used as a culinary spice and plays a huge role in traditional medicine. Turmeric has been used for over 2000 years as the basis of many Chinese and Indian traditional medicines. Recent research into the authenticity of its medicinal properties has pushed the spice into the spotlight.
Historically, it has been recognised that turmeric has been used in traditional Indian medical systems to treat disorders of the skin, upper respiratory tract, joints, and the digestive system.
Today, turmeric is promoted as a dietary supplement for a variety of conditions, including arthritis, digestive disorders, respiratory infections, allergies, liver disease, depression, and many others.
Turmeric contains various groups of compounds such as curcumoids and the turmerones which have both generated huge scientific interest. There are many potential applications of both of these compounds which are under ongoing investigation. The medicinal properties of these compounds are under a great deal of speculation due to their atypical origin. However, it has been proven that under many circumstances that turmeric has the ability to act as a medical aid.
For example, one of the potential applications of turmeric is related to reducing the likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease; it has been observed that people who regularly consume turmeric in their diet are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. When Al+3 ions are found in the brain, it has been shown to contribute towards the development of Alzheimer’s; Al+3 is recognised as a neurotoxic agent and it plays a role in the development of many neurodegenerative diseases. This is because Al+3 ions are related to the production of amyloid plaques (these are fragments of proteins that sit between healthy neurons which consequently reduce brain function). In the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease, curcumin has the ability to bind to Al+3 and can act as a metal-based antioxidant.
While curcumin may prevent plaque formation, turmerone may have a regenerative role in treating Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in Germany performed an experiment in which turmerone was added in different concentrations to undifferentiated stem cells. The results showed that turmerone resulted in up to 80% more cells differentiating into neurons or other neurological cells. Therefore, their research brings to light how the consumption of turmeric may aid the self-repair of neurodegeneration by encouraging the differentiation of neurological cells which would combat the unhealthy cells affected by amyloid plaques.
Another potential application of turmeric is that it acts as an anti-inflammatory substance. Inflammation is the symptom of many chronic illnesses such as arthritis and multiple sclerosis and turmeric has been shown to suppress this symptom by acting as an anti-inflammatory agent. This is due to the fact that curcumin is able to block key enzymes involved in causing inflammation.
So how about all those turmeric lattes? Doctors do say that sprinkling a little bit of the bitter spice into frothed milk doesn’t have proven health benefits. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t delicious:)
Sources:
Chemistry review April 2018 edition
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