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Introduction
Turmeric is a tropical perennial plant in the same family as ginger, native to India, and cultivated throughout the tropics around the world. Growing to a height of about three feet (one meter), it bears pairs of lance-shaped leaves of alternate sides of the stem. At the base of the stem, there is a knobby rhizome somewhat resembling ginger.
Most herbal traditions use turmeric to "invigorate the blood." It is so useful as a medicine that the Chinese names for the plant both call it "gold," chuan yu jin, river constrained gold, and guang yu jin, plain constrained gold. In ancient times, turmeric was reserved for patients who were relatively weak.
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Here are just a few of the various benefits of turmeric:
Reduces Pigmentation
Plagued with pigmentation? Turmeric can help even out your skin tone and colour. Simply apply a little turmeric mixed with cucumber juice or lemon to the affected area. Leave on for fifteen minutes or more, and wash off. Do this everyday, and gradually you will notice your skin colour returning to normal.
Strengthens Bones
Drink a quarter glass turmeric juice every night, with milk. The best way to have this is to take a ½ inch piece of turmeric and boil it with half a glass of milk. Once the milk has turned yellow, remove from fire, let it cool slightly, and sip this. This will cure numerous ailments. Women especially should drink this every night, as it strengthens bones and reduces the risk of developing osteoporosis.
Softens the Body
Turmeric is a wonderful body scrub, which is why Indian brides apply a turmeric and gram flour (besan) mix to their entire body, the morning of the wedding. It leaves your skin soft, smooth and glowing. Of course, a single application will not really make that much of a difference. Do this regularly, and watch your skin change for the better - much better.
Makes the Skin Supple
If you are planning a pregnancy, apply a mixture of turmeric and malai or turmeric and curd to your stomach and waist before going for a bath. Leave it on for fifteen minutes, and wash off. If desired, you could even apply this mixture after bathing. After you have washed off the soap, apply the malai and haldi mixture, leave it on for five minutes, and wash off only with water. Gently, wipe your stomach with the towel. The sooner you start this routine, the more supple and elastic your skin will become, and after giving birth, you will not be left with unsightly stretch marks.
Inhibits Cell Damage
Turmeric is an excellent anti-oxidant, which essentially means that it stabilizes unstable oxygen molecules. These are known as free radicals, and are what cause damage to cells, leading to ageing and various other diseases such as cancer.
Fights Diarrhoea
Turmeric fights the bacteria that causes diarrhoea, so the next time your stomach starts 'running', reach for some haldi. German health authorities have officially declared turmeric herbal tea to be a cure for loose stools.
All around the world you can now avail of turmeric in the form of teas, capsules, tinctures, lotions, ointments and powder. However, here, you have access to turmeric in its purest form, so make the most use of it.
Constituents
1-alpha curcumene, 1-beta-curcumene, camphene, camphor, various forms of curcumin.
Parts Used
The rhizome, dried and ground.
Typical Preparations
Teas, tinctures, and poultices. Combined with dong quai for treating menstrual cramps. Ayurvedic medicine uses turmeric with guggul for treating liver disease.
Many of the healing of benefits of turmeric have been ascribed to curcumin, a group of antioxidant compounds found in the rhizome. Although curcumin is available as a standardized extract, the whole herb may be more beneficial for you than the curcumin extract: Only very small amounts of curcumin are absorbed into the bloodstream. Turmeric as a whole herb stays in the digestive tract longer than curcumin, releasing antioxidant curcumin along with other beneficial substances.
Summary
Turmeric is the main anti-inflammatory herb of Ayurvedic medicine. Ayurveda uses turmeric to treat diseases of the liver and to relieve inflammation. Laboratory tests have found that turmeric in antioxidant and antimutagenic (13,14), that is, it potentially helps prevent new cancers that are caused by chemotherapy or radiation used to treat existing cancers.
Turmeric in the diet may prevent pain of arthritis, bursitis, and tendonitis. A volatile oil in the spice is as effective in relieving pain, under laboratory conditions, as equal amounts steroids.
The antioxidants in turmeric fight atherosclerosis by deactivating platelet-activating facto (POAF). This protein seals leaks in blood vessels by stimulating the growth of a protein "net" on which a cholesterol plaque can form. Curcumin in turmeric helps prevent hardening of the arteries in people who have diabetes, and also helps stop the loss of protein through the kidneys.
Turmeric may help relieve pain caused by carpal tunnel syndrome. If you use turmeric for carpal tunnel syndrome, do not take supplemental vitamin C.
In the laboratory, the antioxidants in turmeric kills cultures of cancer cells from the skin, bloodstream, and ovaries. Curcumin may stop the action of a livery enzyme that activates environmental toxins into carcinogen forms, and may be especially useful in deactivating the carcinogens in cigarette smoke and chewing tobacco. Turmeric in the diet increases the production of enzymes that digest fats and sugars, and stop cholesterol from forming gallstones. Turmeric prevents the release of histamine in the stomach, quelling nervous stomach and counteracting food allergies. Turkic fights gum inflammation by halting the action of a gene that creates irritant chemicals. With the irritation, bacteria cannot find a place to grow, and the absence of bacteria reduces both bad breath and gingivitis. Of course, if you use turmeric to prevent bad breath, you shouldnÍt eat curries made with garlic.
Precautions
As is the case with so many herbs, turmeric should be used in moderation. Too much turmeric for too long can cause stomach distress. Since turmeric is included in Ayurvedic formulas for birth control, women trying to become pregnant should limit their consumption of the herb, and it should be avoided while pregnant. Excessive use of turmeric should also be avoided in people with congestive heart failure. The curcumin in turmeric activates a gene called p53. This gene deactivates cancer cells, but it also deactivates damaged cells in the heart.
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