For nearly 4,000 years the intense yellow spice turmeric (from the plant Curcuma longa) has been prized in India for both its flavor and its medicinal properties. From India it spread throughout the ancient world, to China, Africa and eventually, in the 18th century, the West Indies.
Wherever it went, turmeric was adopted into the local cuisine. Americans might know it best as the yellow spice in common mustard, the sort one squirts on hot dogs at the ballpark. It is also the spice that gives curry powder its distinctive taste and yellow color.
Healing Power of Turmeric
Traditional healers have employed turmeric for an extraordinary range of complaints. It is often used to improve digestion and eliminate parasites. Topically, turmeric pastes have been applied to cleanse wounds and stimulate healing. Readers of this column have found it helpful against hard-to-treat plantar warts, though it can be messy and will stain sheets if not covered carefully.
Arthritis
Many people take turmeric orally to ease inflammation and pain. One reader shared this report:
“I started using one teaspoon of turmeric in my scrambled eggs each morning. My arthritis has greatly improved, and I have far less pain when I walk. I work in my yard every few weeks, weeding, hoeing, mowing and pruning. Usually I am sore for days after this work. But this last time, since I started taking turmeric, I had no soreness the next day.”
Curcumin
Despite its lengthy history, it is only within the last few decades that medical scientists have begun paying close attention to turmeric and its constituents curcumin and the curcuminoids.
Animal research confirms that curcumin can alleviate arthritis induced experimentally (European Journal of Pain, online Nov. 17, 2014). A small placebo-controlled trial in people with osteoarthritis of the knee found that curcumin produced measurably better relief (Phytotherapy Research, Nov. 2014).
Laboratory studies indicate that turmeric has strong antioxidant properties and also could serve as a valuable anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial compound. In addition, tissue culture studies suggest that constituents of turmeric are active against leukemia cells and can nudge them to die a natural death, something that cancer cells usually resist.
Anti-Cancer Activity
Turmeric has several anticancer effects and is active against cells from tumors of the colon, stomach, skin, breast, prostate and pancreas (BioMed Research International, online Sept. 10, 2014). It also seems useful against a number of experimental cancers in animals, ranging from skin cancer to tumors of the lung, breast or stomach.
Turmeric Side Effects
Turmeric and presumably curcumin can trigger adverse reactions. Some people are allergic to this plant product and break out in a rash. Those who are on the anticoagulant warfarin (Coumadin) should not use turmeric, as it could increase the risk of excessive bleeding.
Turmeric and curcumin are among the most exciting natural products under investigation. Future research may show benefits against metabolic syndrome, heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.
