Eastern cultural traditions, including traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda, have valued turmeric for its medicinal properties and warm, peppery flavor for more than 5,000 years. Curcumin, the pigment that gives turmeric its yellow-orange color, is the active ingredient behind many of the emerging health benefits.
Research shows that turmeric has powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and antioxidant properties. Inflammation, if left untreated, can become a chronic health issue. And unlike aspirin or ibuprofen, turmeric’s curcumin reduces inflammation naturally, without damaging the liver or kidneys.
I began using Turmeric after a suffering a shoulder injury several years ago. My Western medical provider wanted to give me a cortisone shot to reduce inflammation, but I wouldn’t hear of it. Turmeric continually popped up in my research of natural remedies, so I decided to give it a try. It did indeed help. My Western medical provider later told me that I was the only patient he’s seen that healed without the use of cortisone or surgery.
India has long revered turmeric as “holy powder,” and has used it for centuries to treat wounds, infections, and other health problems. Modern research is now confirming many of its folklore claims, finding an astonishing array of antioxidant, anti-cancer, antibiotic, antiviral and other properties.
