Curcumin, found in Turmeric spice, helps depression + more

[healthy11]

health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/golden-spice-life-brings-health-and-happiness

"Curcumin, found in the yellow Indian spice turmeric, has amazing health benefits, including elevating mood and combatting depressive symptoms as effectively as the prescription drug Prozac, suggests a recent study published in Phytotherapy Research...."

"...Studies also show that curcumin has anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. In fact, another new clinical trial suggests that a 1 percent solution of curcumin (in water) works nearly as well as for killing mouth bacteria as a standard dental mouth rinse (0.2 percent chlorhexidine gluconate or CHX) in 23 patients with chronic periodontal (gum) disease..."

"...Earlier studies and trials suggest that curcumin and turmeric may also be helpful for the following problems, according to the research review cited above:
Therapy for ulcerative colitis
Healing peptic ulcers, according to a clinical trial with 45 patients. After 4 weeks of treatment with turmeric capsules (300 mg each, twice a day), the ulcers disappeared in 48 percent of cases, with ulcer-free cases increasing to 76 percent after 12 weeks. Another trial found the spice to be beneficial for people suffering from indigestion or stomach or intestinal ulcers, but not as effective as antacids.
Fighting respiratory symptoms. In some studies, turmeric oil was helpful in relieving cough, congestion, and asthma.
Improves wound healing in animal studies.
May reduce joint pain and inflammation from arthritis.
Enhances heart health by lowering blood pressure and making cholesterol less likely to clump into artery-clogging plaque, in animal studies.
Turmeric oil repels mosquitoes."

[eoffg]

Recently published research, has also identified that the curcumin in tumeric, prevents the formation of amyloid plaques that cause Alzheimers.
It prevents beta-amyloids sticking together and forming clumps. Which have the effect of blocking the transfer of vital nutrients to brain cells, causing the brain cells to die of malnutrition.
One caution with adding tumeric to food?
Is not to wear a white shirt when eating, as it is also a permanent yellow dye.

[healthy11]

"not to wear a white shirt when eating, as it is also a permanent yellow dye."

Good point ~ but a minor inconvenience, considering all the other positive benefits of Tumeric!

Perhaps we should start a recipe thread of "tried and liked" foods prepared using Tumeric?

[Mayleng]

Most Indian curry dishes have tumeric or you could just buy Tumeric pills. A few of my fellowed Floxed friends have used Tumeric to help with the pain and inflamation.

[dwolen]

I subscribe to a continuing education service, Audio Digest Internal Medicine. It presents a very conventional medicine point of view. Surprisingly, in the last 3 months, two lectures are on non-traditional nutirtion. One was by an integrative oncologist (who knew there was such an animal?) He discussed tumeric a lot. He said there is very little cancer and dementia in idea compared with the population size, and he made a connection with these stats and the high tumeric intake. He said it is hard to absorb tumeric, but a small amount of black pepper mixed with tumeric increases the absorption of tumeric by 10 times.
Now, I am mixing tumeric in many things, especially for my sick dh. I have even mixed it in vanilla ice cream for myself. I admit I have a diminished sense of taste and smell, but I thought it was good, sort of like green tea ice cream.