Super Spice Secrets: Can This Miracle Spice Stop Cancer, Alzheimer's and Arthritis?

Turmeric Plant

This yellow-orange spice has more recently earned a name for itself in Western medicine as well.

Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant, which is native to Indonesia and southern India, and is widely used as an ingredient in curry dishes and yellow mustard. As research into this powerful spice has increased, it has emerged as one of nature's most powerful potential healers.

Said Professor Dr. Sanjeev Sood, Head of the Panchakarma Department, Dayanand Ayurvedic College, Jalandhar, India:

If I had only one single herb to depend upon for all possible health and dietary needs, I would without much hesitation choose the Indian spice Turmeric. There is little it cannot do in the realm of healing and much that no other herb is able to accomplish.

Turmeric has a broad spectrum of actions, mild but certain effects, and is beneficial for long term and daily usage. Though it is a common spice, few people, including herbalists know of its great value and are using it to the extent possible. It is an herb that one should get to know and live with Turmeric... Beneficial Effects in a Nutshell

· Strengthens and improves digestion

· Reduces gas and bloating

· Assists in the digestion of protein and with rice and bean dishes

· Improves your body's ability to digest fats

· Promotes proper metabolism, correcting both excesses and deficiencies

· Maintains and improves intestinal flora

· Improves elimination of wastes and toxins

· Supports healthy liver function and detox

· Turmeric helps increase bile flow making it a liver cleanser that can rejuvenate your liver cells and recharge their capability to break down toxins

· Helps to prevent alcohol and other toxins from being converted into compounds that may be harmful to your liver

· Supports formation of healthy tissue

· Purifies your blood

· Stimulates formation of new blood tissue

· Anti-inflammatory: Helps to reduce irritation to tissues characterized by pain, redness, swelling and heat

· Contains curcuminoids that fight cancer, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s

· Curcuminoids are potent phytonutrients (plant-based nutrients) that contain powerful antioxidant properties

· Counteract the damaging effects of free radicals in your body

· Relieve arthritis pain and stiffness, anti-inflammatory agent

Anti-carcinogenic:

“Curcumin has been shown to prevent a large of number of cancers in animal studies. Laboratory data indicate that curcumin can inhibit tumour initiation, promotion, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis.

1. Supports treatment of Alzheimer’s disease: “Because Alzheimer's disease is caused in part by amyloid-induced inflammation, curcumin has been shown to be effective against Alzheimer's. Clinical trials are in progress at UCLA with curcumin for Alzheimer's.

2. Curcumin: Turmeric’s Active Anti-Inflammatory “Ingredient

Most notably turmeric is known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties, which come from curcumin -- the pigment that gives turmeric its yellow-orange color, and which is thought to be responsible for many of its medicinal effects. There are an estimated three to five grams of curcumin in 100 grams of turmeric.

Curcumin has been shown to influence more than 700 genes, and it can inhibit both the activity and the synthesis of cyclooxygenase- 2 (COX2) and 5-lipooxygenase (5-LOX), as well as other enzymes that have been implicated in inflammation.

3. Turmeric’s Cancer-Fighting Properties

In India where turmeric is widely used, the prevalence of four common U.S. cancers --colon, breast, prostate and lung -- is 10 times lower. In fact, prostate cancer, which is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in U.S. men, is rare in India and this is attributed, in part, to turmeric.

Numerous studies have looked into this potential cancer-fighting link, with promising results. For instance, curcumin has been found to:

· Inhibit the proliferation of tumour cells

· Inhibit the transformation of cells from normal to tumour

· Help your body destroy mutated cancer cells so they cannot spread throughout your body

· Decrease inflammation

· Enhance liver function

· Inhibit the synthesis of a protein thought to be instrumental in tumour formation

· Prevent the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth

As for the results of research studies, a study in Biochemical Pharmacology found that curcumin can slow the spread of breast cancer cells to the lungs in mice.

4. "Curcumin acts against transcription factors, which are like a master switch," said lead researcher, Bharat Agarwal.

"Transcription factors regulate all the genes needed for tumours to form. When we turn them off, we shut down some genes that are involved in the growth and invasion of cancer cells."

A second study in Biochemical Pharmacology also found that curcumin inhibits the activation of NF-kappaB, a regulatory molecule that signals genes to produce a slew of inflammatory molecules (including TNF, COX-2 and IL-6) that promote cancer cell growth.