Benefits of Curcumin on health are many folds. But, many of us are not aware of what curcumin is. We all know about Turmeric, which is known as Pasupu in Telugu and Haldi in Hindi, 2 Indian languages. The scientific name of Turmeric is Curcuma longa. Turmeric belongs to the family of Ginger.

Turmeric is widely cultivated in many Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia and its an integral part of their cuisine. It is also widely used in Middle Eastern cuisine. Turmeric has been used as a part of many Ayurvedic and Siddha medicines from many centuries.

Turmeric is also part of many home remedies that are passed on to us from our ancestors. All the medicinal properties of turmeric are due to its main active ingredient called Curcumin.

Benefits of Curcumin and Turmeric:

1. Curcumin antioxidant properties:

Curcumin is a very potent antioxidant. The benefits of curcumin and turmeric in fighting free radicals is undeniable. Free radicals which are produced in our body as a result of many metabolic processes are very harmful. They lead to many diseases including cancer. They are also responsible for producing early signs of aging like wrinkles and fine lines.
As curcumin acts as an antioxidant and fights free radicals, aging is delayed in our body. It reduces the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, age spots and all other signs of aging. It prevents the development of various cancers.

2. Curcumin and turmeric antibacterial properties:

Curcumin and turmeric have many antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Because of these properties, they effectively get rid of any infections that people are having. Turmeric is used as a home remedy for getting rid of infections like cold and flu.
In countries like India, Haldi doodh or Haldi milk is prepared with turmeric to get rid of cold and flu very fast. In order to prepare haldi doodh or milk, just take a glass of milk, 1 teaspoon of turmeric powder, a small inch piece of ginger finely ground or grated, ½ spoon of black pepper powder.

Take all the above ingredients and boil them well. Then drink this milk. You can add a little honey or sugar to it if you can’t drink the milk as it is. This haldi milk will help you get rid of cold, flu, sore throat, nasal blockage very soon. You will sure appreciate the benefits of curcumin and turmeric after getting rid of your cold in a jiffy.

3. Benefits of curcumin as anti-inflammatory substance:

Inflammation is nothing but swelling. Thi inflammation can occur in any part of the body and make them diseased. Inflammation of joints can cause Rheumatoid arthritis. Intestinal inflammation can cause Ulcerative colitis. Inflammation of sinuses around nose leads to sinusitis.

The list of inflammatory disorders in the body is just endless. Curcumin is a very effective remedy which has benefits in getting rid of and also preventing inflammatory disorders like ulcerative colitis, Arthritis, and sinusitis.

According to research, benefits of curcumin on arthritis have been experienced by many people. In fact, curcumin is more effective than anti-inflammatory drugs like Diclofenac and Ibuprofen in controlling the symptoms of arthritis like stiffness, joint pains, etc. If you are suffering from arthritis, make sure to increase your curcumin intake.

4. Benefits of Curcumin for Diabetes:

Diabetes is a disease which is making millions of people throughout the world victims of it. At least 1 person in a family is having Diabetes. Diabetes, cholesterol, and high blood pressure are seen in each and every family. Lucky are those families, in which people don’t have these diseases.

Scientists have concluded that Curcumin controls the symptoms of Diabetes very effectively. It regulates the blood sugar levels in an efficient manner. Furthermore, curcumin also reduces the incidence of complications like neuropathy, dermopathy, retinopathy in Diabetic people.

If you are a person suffering from Diabetes, make sure to include Curcumin or turmeric in your diet along with other powerful antidiabetic remedies like fenugreek seeds.

5. Benefits of Curcumin and turmeric on cognitive functions:

Nervous disorders or diseases of the brain are mainly caused due to many different reasons like the abnormality in the neurotransmitters, genetic reasons and also due to low levels of inflammation in the body.

A substance called Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is absolutely essential for the proper functioning of the brain. Deficiency of this factor BDNF can lead to various nervous disorders like Alzheimers. If you take Curcumin and turmeric regularly, it enhances your BDNF levels leading to decreased incidence of Alzheimers and other nervous disorders.

Curcumin also reduces the levels of inflammation in the body. This also leads to the decreaed incidence of nervous disorders like Alzheimer’s.

6. Benefits of Curcumin and turmeric in protecting heart:

Many people all around the world are suffering from heart diseases. Heart diseases are killing lakhs of people every year. It is better to prevent heart diseases, rather than search for a cure or drug therapy. If a person gets the heart attack, he dies in a matter of seconds if no medical facility is available nearby.

We can reduce the incidence of heart diseases by using this amazing supplement called Turmeric or Curcumin. Curcumin reduces the incidence of heart diseases due to many reasons.

First, it protects the innermost lining of the blood vessels called the endothelium. If endothelium is damaged due to any reason, it acts as a focus point for the accumulation of excessive bad cholesterol, platelets, fibers and leads to the formation of the atherosclerotic plaques.

These atherosclerotic plaques block blood supply to the heart and lead to heart attack or myocardial infarction. Benefits of curcumin on the heart are mainly due to its endothelial protection ability. It also protects the heart due to its antioxidant property.

7. Curcumin cancer prevention:

Studies have reported that people who consume curcumin or turmeric regularly have the lesser incidence of various cancers in comparison to their peers. The benefit is mainly seen in certain cancers like colorectal cancer.

Curcumin even acts to kill certain cancer cells by cutting off blood supply to the tumors. Many people die from cancer mainly due to its spread to many other organs apart from the organ of its primary origin. Curcumin effectively inhibits the spread of the cancer cells.

Curcumin is being investigated more to find out a complete cure for cancer. If this research turns out to be a success, it will become a miracle cure for many types of cancers. Let me share a fact with you people.

People belonging to countries where Curcumin is used regularly in diet like India have a lesser incidence of colorectal cancer than countries where curcumin is not used in the diet.

8. Curcumin reduces depression:

Depression is becoming a major ailment all throughout the world. A person looks completely normal from outside, but it kills him from inside. A person with depression slowly gets all the diseases and dies if he doesn’t get himself treated.

The World has become competitive and the family structure has shifted to being nuclear families mostly. People are becoming very mechanical like robots and are not caring about their friends, family, and the society. This is making many people depressed.

In addition to these factors, changes in neurotransmitter levels and reduced levels of BDNF or Brain-derived neurotrophic factor leads to depression. If you take curcumin regularly, your neurotransmitter levels will become normal to some extent, your BDNF levels will improve. This will prevent depression from attacking you in the first place.

9. Curcumin acts like an anticoagulant:

Many people suffer from conditions that cause their blood to clot in their veins, leading to obstruction of blood supply. A blood clot can happen in any region of the brain. Some condition in which such blood clotting is seen are pulmonary vein thrombosis, DVT or deep vein thrombosis.

These people may develop this condition due to hereditary problems like factor 5 Leiden defect, factor 5 deficiency, etc. They can also acquire these conditions due to excessive use of hormones like estrogen in the form of oral contraceptive pills, due to prolonged bed rest, etc.

People with thrombotic conditions are prescribed anticoagulants like Heparin and Warfarin. They lead to many side effects like bleeding or internal hemorrhages. For example, excess warfarin can lead to Rectus sheath hematoma, bladder hematoma, etc.

Benefits of Curcumin as a natural anticoagulant are very well researched. It acts like an anticoagulant and prevents blood clotting, without any side effects. So, if you are suffering from any conditions like DVT, pulmonary embolism or any other thrombotic condition, make sure to take curcumin and turmeric regularly in the diet. You can even opt for turmeric supplements.

10. Curcumin controls cholesterol:

Cholesterol is becoming very common amongst the people. Increased levels of harmful cholesterol like LDL cholesterol leads to the development of atherosclerotic plaques, heart attack, strokes, arterial or venous thrombosis, etc.

Doctors prescribe drugs like atorvastatin or simvastatin or rosuvastatin to control cholesterol levels in the body. But, these drugs have many side effects. The statin drugs can lead to diseases like Diabetes due to their detrimental effects on the pancreas.

So, taking Curcumin in diet or curcumin supplements can be a wise choice instead of taking these Statin drugs in high doses.

Some helpful tips while taking Curcumin or turmeric supplements:

1. Turmeric or Curcumin has a poor absorption rate fro the intestines. In order to increase its absorption, substances like peppercorns should be swallowed along with it. Peppercorns contain piperine which enhances the absorption of curcumin.

2. You can add peppercorn powder to your salads, gravies and curries along with curcumin or turmeric to unleash the full benefits of curcumin by promoting its absorption.

3. Try to use freshly ground curcumin or turmeric as far as possible in your diet. You can find curcumin or turmeric powder in many Indian and Asian stores. You can find t easily and you can also store it very easily. It is very resistant from bugs.

4. Make sure to buy turmeric powder from good stores and that too in packaged form. Otherwise, you might end up developing diseases due to adulterated turmeric powder.

5. You can sue Turmeric powder or curcumin in any dish like curry, gravy, salads, rice dishes, etc. If you are not aware of all these dishes, you can simply mix some turmeric powder about a spoon in some warm milk and drink daily.

You have seen all the benefits of curcumin and turmeric for health. Now start using curcumin to get rid of all the health ailments and become healthy. Remember health is wealth. So, choose your dietary supplements very wisely.

References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric