Did you know that much of our food (whole foods, herbs, spices, etc) have medicinal properties? The drugs that we have grown to depend on are often highly concentrated levels of some active agent found in food. I have been nursing a bad ankle sprain with rest and ice and adding an eastern touch of turmeric paste. Aside from adding a yellow orange tint to my purple and blue foot, turmeric acts as an anti- inflammatory and heating agent. Turmeric is found in many Indian foods and is responsible for staining your fingers when eating or cooking Indian food. It’s also part of Indian cooking because when ingested it aids in digestion and prevents or alleviates minor inflammation caused by other foods (perhaps even gut irritation). As a medicine it can be mixed with hot milk and ingested, the taste is bitter and disgusting but it works. I was a bit surprised and pleased that my doctor knew about Turmeric healing, at least then my orange foot wasn’t as much of an embarrassment.
It’s just another reminder that food really is a drug and when used appropriately it can nourish and heal us inside and out.
Here are some other healing attributes of Turmeric
- Turmeric is a natural pain reliever and anti-inflammatory Laboratory studies have demonstrated turmeric’s potency against virtually all primary inflammatory agents. Patients with rheumatoid arthritis reported significant pain relief when given turmeric in a clinical study.
- Turmeric can help the body stave off flu and ease its symptoms. While not a replacement for a flu shot, turmeric has been shown to be a natural preventative against many flu viral strains. As a natural protease inhibitor, turmeric interferes with the ability of the flu virus to replicate itself.
- Turmeric has been the subject of anti-cancer research. Preliminary studies indicate that turmeric may slow the growth of certain tumors. Demographic research has shown that people in areas where turmeric is abundantly consumed have some of the lowest cancer rates in the world.
- Turmeric stimulates the production of gastric mucus, making it useful in assisting digestion and protecting against ulcers.
- Turmeric is a natural pain reliever. Various laboratory studies have demonstrated turmeric’s potency against virtually all primary inflammatory agents.
- Turmeric promotes wound healing. Because of its antiseptic and analgesic properties, turmeric can be applied topically to speed the healing of wounds.
- Turmeric has anti-asthmatic properties. Clinical studies have shown turmeric to be effective in treating bronchial asthma.
- Turmeric promotes cardiovascular health. A clinical trial showed turmeric’s cholesterol-reducing properties to be as potent as the medication Clofibrate. Another study showed that turmeric lowered cholesterol and triglycerides levels in nearly all cases. Patients in both studies also reported reduced angina.
- Turmeric helps stabilize blood sugar levels. An extract prepared from turmeric root was found to have a hypoglycemic effect. In combination with other herbs, turmeric’s anti-diabetic properties are even more pronounced.
- Turmeric is useful in weight management. Because it stimulates the metabolism of fat, turmeric has been found useful for combating obesity and promoting healthy weight loss.
What are your home remedies? Post to comments…
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