9 Benefits of Turmeric For Health – Turmeric is a spice that is very widely available in Indonesia, even some who make it as traditional herbs. No wonder because the benefits of this herb not only for cooking but also for health. Health benefits of turmeric to the most frequently used by the general public is for nursing mothers, for pregnant women and so on. While the other benefits of turmeric are to clean your face and remove the black spots on the skin.
Content of Substance In Turmeric
Turmeric has a number of content including:
- Dye kurkuminoid – A compound diarilheptanoid about 3-4% and consisting of Curcumin, dihidrokurkumin, desmetoksikurkumin and bisdesmetoksikurkumin.
- Essential oils – Contains as much as 2-5% consisting of sesquiterpenes and derivatives fenilpropana turmeron (aryl-turmeron, alpha and beta turmeron turmeron), kurlon kurkumol, atlanton, bisabolen, seskuifellandren, zingiberin, aryl kurkumen, humulen.
- Minerals – iron magnesium, manganese, calcium, sodium, potassium, lead, zinc, cobalt, aluminum and bismuth
Other substances – Arabinose, fructose, glucose, starch, tannin dammardan
Some benefits of turmeric for health
The benefits of turmeric for health has not indisputable; it has a wide range of healthy nutrients that the human body needs.
1. Anti-inflammatory.
Volatile oil content in Turmeric has demonstrated an anti-inflammatory activity that is significant in a variety of experimental models. Even more powerful than essential oils, this is due to the yellow or orange pigment of turmeric, called curcumin. Curcumin is considered as the primary pharmacological agent in turmeric. In many studies, the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin have been shown to comparable drugs hydrocortisone and phenylbutazone as an anti-inflammatory like Motrin. Unlike the medicines, which are associated with substantial toxic effects (ulcer formation, decreased the number of white blood cells, intestinal bleeding), curcumin does not produce toxicity.
2. Chronic joint inflammation
Benefits of Turmeric for chronic joint inflammation. Clinical examinations have shown that curcumin in turmeric also provides a very powerful antioxidant effects. As an antioxidant, curcumin can neutralize free radicals, chemicals that are contained in the body and cause the accident to healthy cells and cell membranes. This is important in many diseases, one of which is arthritis, where free radicals are the cause painful inflammation of the joints and can damage the joints.
The content of turmeric that can give the effect of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory explain why many people with the joint disease were very relieved when taking this herb. In a recent study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (chronic joint inflammation), curcumin compared with phenylbutazone will produce comparable improvements in such a short duration of morning stiffness in the joints and reduces swelling.
3. Prevent Cancer
The content of the antioxidant curcumin allows it to protect colon cells from free radicals that can damage DNA. This process is very useful, in particular for the large intestine cell turnover occurs approximately every three days. Because cell replication is often the case, the DNA mutations in colon cells can cause the formation of cancer cells much faster. The benefits of turmeric for health can help the body to destroy cancer cells, so they can not spread throughout the body that can make the damage worse. The way of Curcumin to done this is by improving liver function.
Another mechanism is performed by curcumin to prevent cancer is by inhibiting protein synthesis which is considered a role in tumor formation, and prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth. Turmeric is more potent than the benefits of lemon grass leaves, probably as good as the benefits of soursop leaves in eradicating cancer.
4. Increase antioxidants
Benefits of turmeric for health in increasing antioxidants. The content of curcumin is a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals, because of its chemical structure. Besides curcumin also enhances the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the body itself. In this way, curcumin provides resistance/kill free radicals
5. Protection against cardiovascular
Curcumin may prevent the oxidation of cholesterol in the body. Because the oxidized cholesterol can damage the blood vessels and accumulate into a plaque that can cause the heart attack or stroke, prevent oxidation of cholesterol can help to reduce the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease. The benefits of turmeric for health is very remarkable.
Turmeric is a source of vitamin B6 are necessary to keep homocysteine levels from getting too high.
In research published in the Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology, when 10 healthy volunteers consumed 500 mg of curcumin per day for 7 days, not only lowers blood levels of oxidation that lowers cholesterol by 33%, but their total cholesterol dropped 11.63%, and their HDL (the good cholesterol) increased by 29%! (Soni KB, Kuttan R).
6. Prevent Alzheimer’s
The benefits of turmeric for health in preventing Alzheimer’s. Numerous studies show that curcumin is “biologically active constituents” in turmeric can prevent Alzheimer’s disease by activating a gene that encodes a protein production of antioxidants. A study published in the Journal of Biochemistry Italy (December 2003) discusses the role of curcumin in the induction of heme oxygenase pathways, protective systems, when triggered in the brain tissue, causing the production of bilirubin becomes more powerful antioxidant, which protects the brain against oxidative (free radical) and injury.
This oxidation is thought to be major factors in aging and Alzheimer’s disease. Another study conducted jointly by the Italian team and the United States and presented at the annual conference of the American Physiological Society in 2004 in Washington, DC, says that curcumin plays a significant role in inducing genes, called hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) in the astrocytes of the hippocampus region brain.
7. Preventing depression
Depression is also associated with decreased function of brain-derived neurotrophic and shrinking of the hippocampus, a brain area contributing to learning and memory. The benefits of turmeric for health can prevent depression because the content of turmeric has a function to assist the process of neurotrophic provides anti-depressive effects.
8. Improve liver function
The turmeric benefits for heart health is known from studies conducted in mice. This was done to evaluate the effect of turmeric on the liver’s ability to detoxify xenobiotics (toxic) chemicals, the levels of two critical liver detoxification enzymes (UDP-glucuronosyl transferase and glutathione-S-transferase) was significantly increased in rats fed turmeric compared to those without. The researchers commented, “The results show that turmeric can increase detoxification system in addition to the antioxidant properties.”
Others spices health benefits:
- Benefits of garlic for health
- Health benefits of nutmeg
- Health benefits of ginger
- 10 cinnamon health benefits
9. Reduce the risk of leukemia
The study presented at the conference held in London leukemia, giving evidence that the health benefits of turmeric to it can reduce the risk of leukemia. In this study said that people who eat foods that were seasoned turmeric can lessen the hazard of leukemia.
Based on this article, the benefits of turmeric for health are very much at all. Then use these ingredients as possible for health needs. You can use this spice in cooking, drinking with boiled or eaten directly.
