Turmeric is the natural source of the curcuminoids. Curcumin is the yellow antioxidant pigment found in the herb turmeric. curcumin is that it has remarkable free-radical fighting power. Along with vitamin E and lipoic acid, curcumin is one of the best known antioxidants. That means it neutralizes chemicals released when oxygen is used inside a cell that can cause damage to DNA resulting in deficiencies of the enzymes the body makes. The antioxidant curcumin will react with oxygen in the atmosphere. That is why the bright orange color of dried, ground turmeric, due to its curcumin content, fades if the ground spice is exposed to the air. curcumin acts by inserting itself into your cells' membranes where it changes the physical properties of the membrane itself, making it more orderly. When curcumin enters a cell, the study's lead researcher said:
"The membrane goes from being crazy and floppy to being more disciplined and ordered, so that information that flows through it can be controlled."
This improves your cells' resistance to both infection and malignancy.
• Improve your overall mood
Happiness is one thing you can never get enough of, and curcumin plays a powerful role in getting and keeping your mood high. It’s been shown to enhance brain chemicals such as noradrenalin and serotonin, and increase the production of dopamine, which dictates how we experience both pleasure and pain. That which lifts your mood also has a wide influence on everything from sleep and sexual behaviour to memory and learning.
• Protect against sleep deprivation
• Osteoarthritis. Some research shows that taking some turmeric extracts can reduce the pain caused by osteoarthritis of the knee. In one study, turmeric worked about as well as ibuprofen for reducing pain.
• Let it fight your (virus) battles
There are some viruses that can’t be swayed by an abundance of vitamin C and D However researchers have discovered that curcumin shows promise in fighting super-viruses. Researchers from Virginia’s National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases found curcumin stopped the potentially deadly Rift Valley Fever virus from multiplying in infected cells. Lead researcher Aarthi Narayanan found it, “may interfere with how the virus manipulates the human cell to stop the cell from responding to the infection.” They are taking their findings and applying them to work in AIDs research. It’s no wonder that in India turmeric is revered as a holy powder. It’s believed the spice can insert itself into cell membranes and make them more stable in such a way that increases their resistance to infection. Even if you’re not a science buff, that’s pretty cool.
• Ease the pain of tendinitis
• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Curcumin, a chemical in turmeric, might help reduce some symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
• A Potent, Yet Safe Anti-Inflammatory : An Effective Treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease : Curcumin may provide an inexpensive, well-tolerated, and effective treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, recent research .
• Relief for Rheumatoid Arthritis : Clinical studies have substantiated that curcumin also exerts very powerful antioxidant effects. As an antioxidant, curcumin is able to neutralize free radicals, chemicals that can travel through the body and cause great amounts of damage to healthy cells and cell membranes. This is important in many diseases, such as arthritis, where free radicals are responsible for the painful joint inflammation and eventual damage to the joints. Turmeric's combination of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects explains why many people with joint disease find relief when they use the spice regularly.
• Help for Cystic Fibrosis Sufferers : Curcumin, the major constituent of turmeric that gives the spice its yellow color, can correct the most common expression of the genetic defect that is responsible for cystic fibrosis. Cystic fibrosis, a fatal disease that attacks the lungs with a thick mucus, causing life-threatening infections. The mucus also damages the pancreas, thus interfering with the body's ability to digest and absorb nutrients. Researchers now know that cystic fibrosis is caused by mutations in the gene that encodes for a protein (the transmembrane conductance regulator or CFTR). The CTFR protein is responsible for traveling to the cell's surface and creating channels through which chloride ions can leave the cell. When the protein is abnormally shaped because of a faulty gene, this cannot happen, so chloride builds up in the cells, which in turn, leads to mucus production.
• From herpes to HPV
Curcumin’s virus-killing powers have been shown to extend to both herpes and HPV. In one study curcumin significantly inhibited the herpes simplex virus by interfering with the replication of the virus in laboratory settings. While dabbing this orange powder on your unsightly cold sore may not do the trick, consistent supplementation can shorten the duration and help prevent an outbreak – as a side note, resveratrol has shown promise as well, making this a power duo for sufferers. Researchers in New Delhi also found curcumin prevented infection and inhibited the growth on the human papilloma virus (HPV), with the potential of preventing cervical cancer.
• Cancer Prevention : Curcumin's antioxidant actions enable it to protect the colon cells from free radicals that can damage cellular DNA—a significant benefit particularly in the colon where cell turnover is quite rapid, occuring approximately every three days. Because of their frequent replication, mutations in the DNA of colon cells can result in the formation of cancerous cells much more quickly. Curcumin also helps the body to destroy mutated cancer cells, so they cannot spread through the body and cause more harm. A primary way in which curcumin does so is by enhancing liver function. Additionally, other suggested mechanisms by which it may protect against cancer development include inhibiting the synthesis of a protein thought to be instrumental in tumor formation and preventing the development of additional blood supply necessary for cancer cell growth. curcumin was found to suppress cancer cell proliferation and to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis (cell suicide) in the lung cancer cells. Early phase I clinical trials at the University of Texas are now also looking into curcumin's chemopreventive and therapeutic properties against multiple myeloma and pancreatic cancer, and other research groups are investigating curcumin's ability to prevent oral cancer.
• Turmeric and Onions May Help Prevent Colon Cancer : Curcumin, a phytonutrient found in the curry spice turmeric, and quercitin, an antioxidant in onions, reduce both the size and number of precancerous lesions in the human intestinal tract.
• Turmeric Teams Up with Cauliflower to Halt Prostate Cancer
• Reduce Risk of Childhood Leukemia
• Improved Liver Function
• Cardiovascular Protection : Curcumin may be able to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol in the body. Since oxidized cholesterol is what damages blood vessels and builds up in the plaques that can lead to heart attack or stroke, preventing the oxidation of new cholesterol may help to reduce the progression of atherosclerosis and diabetic heart disease. In addition, turmeric is a good source of vitamin B6, which is needed to keep homocysteine levels from getting too high. Homocysteine, an intermediate product of an important cellular process called methylation, is directly damaging to blood vessel walls. High levels of homocysteine are considered a significant risk factor for blood vessel damage, atherosclerotic plaque build-up, and heart disease; while a high intake of vitamin B6 is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease.
• Protection against Alzheimer's Disease : A number of studies have suggested that curcumin, the biologically active constituent in turmeric, protects against Alzheimer's disease by turning on a gene that codes for the production of antioxidant proteins. A study published in the Italian Journal of Biochemistry (December 2003) discussed curcumin's role in the induction of the the heme oxygenase pathway, a protective system that, when triggered in brain tissue, causes the production of the potent antioxidant bilirubin, which protects the brain against oxidative (free radical) injury. Such oxidation is thought to be a major factor in aging and to be responsible for neurodegenerative disorders including dementias like Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's disease results when a protein fragment called amyloid-B accumulates in brain cells, producing oxidative stress and inflammation, and forming plaques between nerve cells (neurons) in the brain that disrupt brain function. Amyloid is a general term for protein fragments that the body produces normally. Amyloid-B is a protein fragment snipped from another protein called amyloid precursor protein (APP). In a healthy brain, these protein fragments are broken down and eliminated. In Alzheimer's disease, the fragments accumulate, forming hard, insoluble plaques between brain cells. The UCLA researchers first conducted test tube studies in which curcumin was shown to inhibit amyloid-B aggregation and to dissolve amyloid fibrils more effectively than the anti-inflammatory drugs ibuprofen and naproxen. Then, using live mice, the researchers found that curcumin crosses the blood brain barrier and binds to small amyloid-B species. Once bound to curcumin, the amyloid-B protein fragments can no longer clump together to form plaques. Curcumin not only binds to amyloid-B, but also has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, supplying additional protection to brain cells.
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