Turmeric as a superfood

Originally from India and parts of Southeast Asia, turmeric is a plant belonging to the ginger family and its scientific name isCurcuma Longa .

In India, Curcuma has been used for more than 4000 years been used and documented. In the Ayurvedic "heilkunst" Curcuma is considered the "warm" spice, and was very early considered to be a sacred plant. It is also used as a medicinal herb, which is also the case in Chinese traditional medicine (TCM).

"The plant's origins lie in the wetlands of Southeast Asia, where the heat and humidity are very strong. Natural enemies such as bacteria, fungi,
Viruses and parasites are widespread. Worms, mice and other predators must also be
"is held as effectively as possible. And Curcuma has been excellently able to do this with its effective ingredients for thousands of years."

Here are some of the traditional ways in which Turmeric, or more precisely its bioactive compounds, cucuminoids, are used within the two areas:

Ayurveda :

• Digestion and Inflammation: Turmeric is considered a powerful anti-inflammatory and digestive herb in Ayurveda. It is used to treat indigestion, bloating, and other gastrointestinal problems.
• Liver Support: It is also said to have beneficial effects on the liver and supports its function.
• Joint and muscle pain: Turmeric is used to relieve pain and inflammation in joints and muscles.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) :

• Blood circulation: In TCM, turmeric is considered an herb that promotes blood circulation and can be used to relieve menstrual problems and other conditions related to blood circulation.
• Colds and infections: It is also said to have antibacterial and antiviral properties, so it can be used to fight infections and colds.
• Liver cleansing: Just like in Ayurveda, turmeric is considered beneficial for the liver in TCM and is used to support its function and cleanse the body of toxins.

In addition to these uses, Turmeric/Curcuma has also been studied for its potential health benefits in modern medical research, including its potential anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties.

It is the Curcuminoids (the active ingredients in Turmeric) that are responsible for Curcuma's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

There are now well over 1,000 research articles on Turmeric or Curcuma where Curcumin is the most important active ingredient in Curcuma (standard book: "The molecular targets and therapeutic applications of Curcumin in health and disease", Springer-Verlag, ISBN-13:978-0-387-46400-8, 480 pages with countless literature references).

There have been many, mostly positive research articles over the last 50 years on how Curcumin works. It is remarkable that the effects of curcuma are incredibly diverse, so one almost becomes skeptical about why one plant or its active ingredients have shown to have such a broad effect on so many metabolic pathways.

I highly recommend the free e-book from Dr. Rudolf Bolzius: A Blessing for Mankind: TheSuperfood Curcuma . This is volume I, volume two is almost finished, it contains further exciting articles and areas of application.

https://www.der-mitochondrien-doktor.de

Parts of the text are from Dr. Bolzius's e-book, and are reproduced with permission.

See my other articles about the amazing Turmeric or Curcuma as it is also called in Viore's blog.

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Dalla, E.; Koumentakou, I.; Bikiaris, N.; Balla, E.; Lykidou, S.; Nikolaidis, N. Formulation, Characterization and Evaluation of Innovative O/W Emulsions Containing Curcumin Derivatives with Enhanced Antioxidant Properties. Antioxidants 2022, 11, 2271. [ CrossRef ]