Ethiopian Review

Curcumin

The turmeric herb benefits many areas of the body. Let’s start with the digestive system. It was originally used in traditional healing to relieve indigestion, inflammatory bowel, gas, parasitic infections and viral infections affecting the gastrointestinal system. In some countries, people drink tea containing it to promote good digestion. Those are the traditional uses that relate to the digestive system. What does the science say?

Scientific evaluation has shown that the rhizomes, an underground stem system, of the plant contain curcuminoids, primarily curcumin. Curcumin has anti-viral, anti-parasite and anti-inflammatory activity. In animal studies, it has been shown that curcumin, as well as piperine and ginger enhance the activity of digestive enzymes, which are necessary for breaking down foods and absorbing nutrients from them. When these digestive enzymes are less active problems like constipation, gas and indigestion occur.

When it comes to the future health of the digestive system, curcumin has been shown to inhibit the growth of colorectal tumors. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common types.

Traditionally, the spice was used to treat heart disease. So, let’s look at how the turmeric herb benefits the cardiovascular system.

Researchers describe curcumin as having anti-thrombotic and anti-ischemic activity. An anti-thrombotic is an agent that prevents blood clots from forming in the blood vessels. The extent of damage done by a blood clot or thrombosis depends upon how badly it obstructs blood flow. A thrombosis that blocks blood flow to the heart will cause a heart attack. In other areas of the body, it could cause varicose veins or nerve death. In diabetic neuropathy, the cause of the nerve death is obstructed blood flow.

An anti-ischemic describes a similar reduction in blood flow, but the cause may be atherosclerosis, which is a build up of calcified plaques on the walls of the arteries. Tumors, foreign bodies and blood clots can cause ischemia, too.

Although it was not a traditional use, the turmeric herb benefits to the brain are currently under investigation. It is possible that curcumin could be useful in treating Alzheimer’s patients. Alzheimer’s is a degenerative disease of the
brain that eventually results in the patient’s death, as more and more brain cells are strangled by hard proteins that will not dissolve. Curcumin has been shown to dissolve those proteins and prevent them from forming.

Cancer is not a disease that was well understood in traditional medicine. But modern researchers are also looking at how the turmeric herb benefits may reduce the risk of and be useful in treating various types of cancer. It’s not time to give up on conventional treatments and start eating turmeric. These studies are in the early stage and certain issues would need to be addressed.

For example, it would depend on where the cancer is located. Reducing the risk of colorectal cancer would not require that the curcumin be absorbed in the bloodstream, but to be beneficial for other types it would.

Curcumin is not readily absorbed into the bloodstream, researchers have shown. It is only possible to get the turmeric herb benefits to the cardiovascular system, the brain and other parts of the body with a well-designed supplement. Visit my website today to learn about a multi-nutritional supplement I’ve discovered that I’d like to share with you.

- By stiw simon | AC

- Bin Du