Commonly used as a spice in numerous South Asian and Middle Eastern nations, turmeric
is derived from the root of the Curcuma longa plant. Many cultures have
been utilizing the medicinal properties of turmeric for decades, widely
used as a spice in many traditional dishes. Turmeric has also been
recognized for its numerous health-promoting characteristics, especially
it’s role as one of many cancer fighting foods. Peer-reviewed research has found that turmeric can positively impact over 581 diseases [1], and it is one of the most widely researched spices on earth.

Curcumin, a natural phenol and compound of turmeric, is also widely
researched and known for its many benefits. Curcumin is actually
responsible for giving turmeric its distinctive color, and is in fact
thought to be the predominant source of many health-enhancing effects
exhibited by turmeric. Curcumin alone has been found to affect over 560
diseases [2] in peer-reviewed research.

In a study published in the July edition of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, researchers found that curcumin
reduced brain tumors by a shocking 81%. Adding further scientific basis
to the effects of curcumin supplementation and culinary inclusion, the
scientists discovered that the compound drastically decreased brain
tumors in 9 out of the 11 studies by 81% without evidence of toxicity.

Turmeric and curcumin have also been found to be powerful suppressors of cancer growth and spread. In fact, researchers at UCLA
found that curcumin is capable of blocking enzymes necessary for cancer
to grow. Involving 21 participants, each took 1,000 milligrams of
chewable curcumin tablets. After consuming the curcumin tablets, the
results were evaluated by an independent lab in Maryland. The lab test
verified that the supplementation did indeed inhibit spread of the
malignant cells, and therefore blocked cancer growth.

The benefits of turmeric are just hitting the mainstream light, and its inexpensive nature makes it very simple to acquire virtually worldwide.

Additional sources:
1. Turmeric Research Database
2. Curcumin Research Database

More about Turmeric: