You have probably noticed the golden Turmeric spice in your cupboard, but not thought of where it comes from. Available as a spice, a tea, capsule, and extract Turmeric is a very popular health supplement as well due to it’s restorative properties.
What is Turmeric?
Turmeric powder comes from the roots of the turmeric plant, which is also called Indian saffron or the golden spice. A relative to the ginger plant, it grows very tall mostly in Asia and Central America.
What makes Turmeric special?
For thousands of years by both Chinese medicine and Ayurvedic medicine, one of the world’s oldest healing systems, have used turmeric for its medicinal benefits. And they were really on to something; turmeric contains a super potent antioxidant called Curcumin. Traditionally it was used to improve liver function, and for its antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
Turmeric’s Effect on Diabetics
Curcumin has been studied for its impact on reducing blood sugar and cholesterol levels in diabetic rats with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Some studies have shown that curcumin is 400 times more potent than many common diabetes medications metformin at activating a particular enzyme called AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase). Researchers consider AMPK to be a therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes treatment.
Health Tip:Another key strength of curcumin is that it helps reduce a phenomenon called diabetic neuropathy, which takes several forms and can cause symptoms such as muscle weakness, kidney failure, and blindness.
Curcumin also protects beta cells that produce insulin. These cells were seen to grow faster in rats that consumed curcumin.
Other Benefits of Turmeric
Reduces Cholesterol
In the US, people have begun developing pre-diabetes at an increasing rate. Both diabetics and non-diabetics have begun suffering from oxidative stress, which damages the blood vessels. This damage allows plaque to build up and patch the damaged areas, which leads to high levels of LDL cholesterol.
Improved Brain Function
Curcumin boosts a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is a type of growth hormone for your brain. Disorders like depression and Alzheimer’s have been linked to this chemical being absent from the brain. And with more BDNF, some controlled studies have indicated that it could improve memory and make you smarter.
Cancer Prevention
As a potent antioxidant, curcumin lowers the risk of cells in the body becoming damaged. This could lead to a lesser risk of cell mutations and cancer.
And as curcumin combats chronic inflammation, which is a known contributing factor to cancer development, turmeric prepares the body to fight cancerous cells.
Fights Age-Related Chronic Disease
Aging will inevitably bring about chronic disease in people, and curcumin is a property that is very effective as a supplement to stop the aging process of cells as it reduces oxidation and inflammation.
Anti-Inflammatory
Curcumin is strongly anti-inflammatory and matches the performance of some pharma drugs in effectiveness at reducing inflammation.
What makes curcumin a high performing antioxidant? Curcumin is a bioactive substance that fights inflammation at the molecular level.
Benefits Against Depression
In a research study, it was shown that groups testing curcumin and Prozac fared very well at treating depression against the control group. This suggests that curcumin could be an effective antidepressant.
You can get the benefits of turmeric and 7 other super herbs in Herbaly Wellness Collection. A tea blend that combines 8 botanicals that can help you achieve better health and wellness with phytonutrients and antioxidants.
