If you read or listen to any amount of health and nutrition information, you more than likely have heard about turmeric. But do you know what it is and what it can be used for? Read this article to learn all about the health benefits that turmeric can offer you.

Turmeric is native to India and is from the ginger family. Native Indians have used turmeric for thousands of years as a cooking spice, a dye of their fabrics and of course, medicine.

As a spice, turmeric is used in almost every dish that is consumed in India. For medicinal purposes, Indians use it as an antiseptic for cuts and burns, as an antibacterial agent, to sooth digestion, and to strengthen teeth.

Indians have long used turmeric as an anti-inflammatory agent to treat hepatitis, inflammatory bowel diseases, bruises, colic and irregular menstrual cycles. This herb is also an astringent and is used to treat ulcers and hemorrhages. Turmeric is also becoming popular as a cleansing agent to kill parasites from the colon and as a treatment for yeast infections.

All of these uses for turmeric are great, but the one that is causing the most interest is the use of turmeric to treat and prevent Alzheimers. Research isn’t conclusive as of yet, but studies have shown that turmeric has virtually wiped out Alzheimers in laboratory specimens. This is good to know but better yet is the actual evidence.

Turmeric began getting attention due to Alzheimers research. It was noticed that the lowest rate in the world is in India where they use the spice on a daily basis for cooking. The people of India only have a 1% rate of Alzheimers. When scientists began looking for a reason for this extremely low rate, they noticed the high intake of turmeric by the people of India.

While the research on turmeric is not finished, you can begin to get the benefits of it now. It is a safe spice that you can use in your cooking and you can easily find it as a supplement.

Turmeric is described as having a bitter flavor and is peppery and warm. This spice is used to make curry powder so you may be familiar with it.

Suggestions for using turmeric in your cooking:

• Include it to egg salad to spice up the color and flavor.

• Try making a dish using brown rice, raisins, and cashews and seasoning it with turmeric, cumin, and coriander.

• Make curries and add extra turmeric to them for extra flavor.

• Use it in bean dishes.

• Try adding it to salad dressings.

• Sauté cauliflower in a spoonful of turmeric.

If using turmeric in your cooking doesn’t sound appealing to you, get a good supplement from a reputable health food store. The supplements are inexpensive and are in capsule form so they are easy to take.

While research hasn’t yet proven that turmeric is responsible for preventing Alzheimers, the choice is up to you. You can give turmeric a try and add some flavor to your food at the same time, or you can wait 15 years for research to finish their studies.

Jason Ladock

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