Health Benefits of turmeric – It is a spice and a kitchen ingredient that is quite common in Indonesia, even turmeric is one of the extraordinary commodities of the archipelago include the white turmeric. Turmeric has a big useful or advantages for us. Even though turmeric is well known as a kitchen spice, its benefits are not limited to spices to give food color and aroma. However, turmeric is also beneficial for health and even for beauty.
In this article we will elaborate more on the health benefits of turmeric in human life. Before we explain one by one, we need to know that turmeric contains various substances that make it very valuable in maintaining health, beauty and even in treating various health problems including hepatitis, liver, rheumatism and even cancer. Here are some of the dominant substances in turmeric so that it is very beneficial for health.
Nutrition in Turmeric
Curcuminoid dye: This is a compound called “diaryheptanoid” which is about 3-4%, consisting of curcumin, desmetoksikurcumin, dihydrocurcumin and bisdesmetoksikurcumin.
Essential oils: Also contains 2-5% essential oils, it consists of sesquiterpenes, phenylpropane turmerone derivatives (aryl-turmerone, alpha turmerone and beta turmerone), curcumol curlone, atlanton, bisabolen, sesquifellandren, aryl curcumen, zingiberin, and humulene.
Minerals: Contains magnesium, calcium, iron, manganese, potassium, sodium, lead, cobalt, zinc, aluminum and bismuth.
Other substances: Apart from that, turmeric also contains other substances such as fructose, glucose, Arabinose, starch, tannins and dammar.
After we know at a glance about the content of turmeric, now we will see what are the benefits of turmeric and turmeric useful health and beauty. Hopefully it can provide a lot of knowledge so that we understand and understand more about the benefits of this yellow kitchen spice.
Benefits of Turmeric for Health
1. Health benefits of Turmeric due to Anti-inflammatory
One of the health benefits of turmeric is that it is anti-inflammatory, thanks to the volatile oils in turmeric. Volatile oil acts as an anti-inflammatory or inflammatory, so turmeric is very good for relieving joint pain or other inflammatory diseases.
In addition to the oil, turmeric also contains pharmacological agents, this is curcumin, which is the substance that gives turmeric its yellow color. The power of curcumin in relieving inflammation is comparable to the use of hydrocortisone and phenylbutazone drugs. So, it is very unusual to use it on a personal basis compared to using chemical drugs which have many side effects.
Also read: White Turmeric (Curcuma zedoaria)
2. Treating Rheumatoid Arthritis (chronic arthritis)
In turmeric, curcumin content is not only anti-inflammatory but also contains very strong antioxidants so that turmeric can neutralize the effects of free radicals. So, turmeric is important as an ingredient in medicines such as arthritis, which many elderly people experience.
In a study to prove the benefits of turmeric containing curcumin, it turns out to have an effect that is comparable to the phenylbutazone drug and requires the same time to deal with arthritis.
3. Turmeric Benefits as Prevent cancer
Turmeric is also rich in antioxidants and we know this is a very useful substance to prevent and fight free radicals from body cells, especially against cells in the large intestine. Cells in the large intestine always turn over and even change cells every day, so with the presence of antioxidants in turmeric, this can minimize the formation of abnormal cells or cancer.
Curcumin is useful for destroying cancer cells, the way is by improving liver function. When the function gets better and stronger, cancer cells can easily be killed. Apart from this, curcumin also works to inhibit protein synthesis, this is the main suspect in the formation of tumor cells, as well as preventing the transfer of blood for the formation of cancer cells. The power of turmeric in fighting cancer is as strong as the use of soursop leaves, so don’t ignore the benefits of turmeric, you can add turmeric to your dishes.
Also read: 10+ Benefits of Bay Leaves
Some types of cancer that turmeric can effectively prevent are liver cancer, blood cancer, colon cancer, and prostate cancer.
4. Increase antioxidants
Curcumin is a type of antioxidant in turmeric which functions to neutralize free radicals in the body and increase the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the human body so that it can easily provide resistance to free radicals.
5. Turmeric benefits as Improve liver function
Another health benefit of turmeric is that it improves liver function. That is why if someone has a liver or liver virus, turmeric can be an effective traditional medicine. Turmeric will detoxify the ‘xenobiotic’ toxins in the body. Research shows that mice given turmeric have a stronger detoxifying ability than those that are not.
6. Reducing the risk of leukemia
Leukemia is a dangerous disease, its also knew as blood cancer. A study conducted in London shows evidence that people who consume turmeric have a lower risk of leukemia.
This is a study conducted by Prof. doctor. Moolky Nagabhushan from Loyola University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, he has been doing and studying about this for 20 years and concluded that turmeric is very extraordinary in destroying the causes of leukemia.
He said that the benefits of curcumin in turmeric are:
Curcumin Inhibits the mutagenicity of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (carcinogenic chemicals created by burning carbon-based fuels including cigarette smoke)
Inhibits radiation damage to chromosomes
Prevents the formation of harmful heterocyclic amines and nitroso compounds, which are present in certain processed foods, such as processed meat products that contain nitrosamines.
Inhibits the proliferation of leukemia cells in cell culture
7. Cardiovascular benefits of turmeric
Cardiovascular disease is a disease related to blood vessels such as stroke, heart attack and others. The benefits of curcumin here are to prevent oxidation of cholesterol in the body, thereby reducing the risk of clogged blood vessels. This is believed to prevent the occurrence of dangerous diseases such as stroke, heart attack and prevent the development of atherosclerosis.
Turmeric is a kitchen spice that is rich in vitamin B6, this is useful for preventing high levels of homocysteine in the body. Once a study on this was published in a journal entitled “Indian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology”. participants consumed 500 mg of turmeric every day for seven days. The result is not only reducing the level of blood oxidation which can lower cholesterol by 33%, but also total cholesterol can decrease by 11.63%. Surprisingly again, the level of HDL or good cholesterol has increased by up to 29%.
8. Health benefits of turmeric as Alzheimer’s Prevention
Alzheimer’s is a disease associated with advancing age. Usually Alzheimer’s occurs in people who are elderly. However, by consuming turmeric regularly either directly or adding it to food, the risk of this disease can decrease.
Research shows that curcumin is a biologically active constituent that can prevent Alzheimer’s. There is a study published in the Italian Biochemical Journal (December 2003), explaining that curcumin has a role in the induction of the heme oxygenase pathway. This is a protective system that produces a more powerful antioxidant bilirubin that can protect the brain against and fight oxidative (free radicals) and injury.
Other studies suggest that curcumin plays an important role in inducing genes and this is called hemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) in astrocytes in the hippocampus of the brain.
9. Turmeric to Prevent depression
Furthermore, the health benefits of turmeric are preventing depression. Someone who often experiences depression can also cause decreased neurotropic function and can cause the shrinkage of the hippocampus. The hippocampus is an area of the brain that plays a role in learning and remembering things.
The benefits of turmeric for health are not only in the nine (9) points above, but there are many more benefits of turmeric that you need to know. Below are other benefits and useful of turmeric that you can taste. We will write some of the other uses of turmeric below, hopefully it will be additional information from the article we have written above.
- Treating Typhus
- Diabetes mellitus
- Appendicitis medication
- Leucorrhoea
- Medicine for dysentery
- Menstruation is not smooth
- Helps facilitate breastfeeding
- Stomach mules during menstruation
- Turmeric is great for helping with childbirth
- Shell (waterproken)
- Weaning babies
- Tonsils
- Treating Morbili
- Slime
- Stomach ache
- Treating Stomach Heartburn
- Stomachache
- Bloated
- good for treating ulcers
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Cure Headaches
- Difficult to defecate
- Treating Thrush
- Pain from cavities
- Motion sickness
- Blood booster
- Increase appetite
- Clean the blood
- Treating Eczema
- Treating ulcers or sores
- Treat boils
- Treating swelling due to insect stings
- Ringworm treatment, and
- Treating Itching – Itching
Benefits of Turmeric for Beauty
Turmeric is not only useful for cooking ingredients, flavoring food, and for treating various health complaints but turmeric is also beneficial for beauty. Next, we will see what are the benefits of turmeric as a natural herb for health.
Also see: Benefits of Basil Leaves You Must Know!
- Fade and remove blemishes on acne
- Makes skin look tight and without wrinkles,
- Reduce excessive oil production so it is good for reducing oil on the face
- Good for treating acne
- Remove skin wrinkles or signs of aging
- As a natural hair dye
- Prevents premature aging because turmeric has many antioxidants
- Reduces hair on the skin, it is suitable for women
- Overcoming hair loss
- Remove dead skin cells.
- Get rid of stubborn dandruff
- Smoothes the skin on the heel and elbow area
- Good for softening the skin
- Makes dark skin whiter and lighter
Also read: How to Get Rid of Black Spots on the Face
Thus, the Health Benefits of Turmeric and its useful for beauty, hopefully it can be additional information for all of us in utilizing natural ingredients as traditional medicinal ingredients. Turmeric is an herbal ingredient or a kitchen spice that is very easy to get, so it is a huge loss if we don’t know the benefits of turmeric for health.