Turmeric - Health Benefits, Uses and Important Facts

Turmeric is a spice powder that is bright yellow and comes from the same family as ginger. Turmeric has been used in Asia for thousands of years as a dye, a food colouring, and in traditional Indian medicines. Turmeric looks a lot like ginger and galangal, which are also roots, except that it has an orange colour. It is also called "Indian saffron."

Turmeric, which has been called the most powerful spice, can solve any health problem in an Indian home. It has a long list of healing properties, including antioxidant, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, anticarcinogenic, antimutagenic, and anti-inflammatory. That should be enough to make you look it up and rethink how you use it in your food.

About Turmeric:

• Turmeric, also known as Curcuma longa, is a spice that is used in cooking. However, it has become very popular as one of the most powerful herbs for fighting diseases.
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• India and other Southeast Asian countries have turmeric. The bright yellow turmeric powder is made by grinding the dried root of the plant.
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• There are many chemical compounds in turmeric. These are called curcuminoids, and curcumin is the active ingredient. Curcumin is the part of turmeric that gives it a lot of its health benefits.
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• There are more than 100 different chemical compounds in turmeric that help it heal. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane), which is a polyphenol, has been shown to affect many signalling molecules in cell pathways. At the same time, it shows up at the level of the cells. Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Bisdemethoxycurcumin and dimethoxycurcumin are two other curcuminoids.

Is Turmeric an herb?

If you've seen the orange, rough-skinned bulbs of turmeric in the grocery store, you might be curious about where it comes from because of their shape. Is it a stem? Is it a vegetable? Is it really a herb?

Turmeric is a rhizome, or underground stem, of the Curcuma longa plant. It is often thought to be a root. Ginger is another well-known rhizome that you may have heard of. Both of these plants have powerful health benefits and are, in fact, herbs that have been used for thousands of years to treat a wide range of illnesses and improve health.

Taste of Turmeric:

Turmeric has a strong taste and smells like dirt. It tastes a little bit bitter, peppery, and a little bit gingery. Turmeric is a spice that is used in cooking and also as a dye. Without turmeric, an Indian spicy recipe might not taste the way you want it to. Dry mustard is often used in place of turmeric in recipes.

Common names of Turmeric:

Curcuma longa is the Latin name for the turmeric plant. In India, it is often called haldi (in Hindi), halud or pitras (in Bengali), arishia (in Kannada), and halad (in Konkani and Marathi). It is called haldhar or haldi in Gujarati and Punjabi, and haldi in Urdu.

Use of Turmeric in Indian cooking:

Turmeric is grown for its rhizomes, which are used as a bright yellow-orange cooking spice. Curcumin is the main colour in turmeric, and it is often used as a colouring agent in the food industry. Most of the time, turmeric is used in dairy foods, cereals, drinks, ice cream, bakery goods, and savoury foods. It is also used to get the colours of lemon and banana in flavoured milk drinks, refined milk, desserts, and candies.

Turmeric is a unique spice that is used in larger amounts in sausages, pickles, relishes, sauces, and dry mixes. Turmeric should be kept in sealed containers with no air leaks and out of the sun. If turmeric isn't stored well, it can quickly lose its smell. It is mostly used in curry powder and to make rice dishes and sauces taste good.

Ayurvedic use of Turmeric:

In Ayurvedic medicine, turmeric has been used for the past 4,000 years. Its main antioxidant, curcumin, has been studied and shown to have many benefits. It is known as the holy powder because it has been shown to heal. Turmeric is used to balance vata, pitta, and kapha. However, too much turmeric can make pitta and vata worse. It helps the rasa and rakta dhatus in many ways (the blood and plasma of the circulatory system). It also starts the digestive fire (Agni), which helps get rid of Kapha and ama (toxins).

Health benefits of Turmeric:

Turmeric is a key ingredient in curries, and it also has a lot of health benefits. It can be used to treat liver problems, stomach problems, ringworm, and even itching. Here are just a few of the many benefits of Turmeric:

Helps ease the pain of arthritis

Turmeric helps treat osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis because it reduces inflammation. Turmeric also has antioxidant properties, so it can get rid of free radicals. This spice can also be used by people with mild joint pain.

Good for the brain:

Studies have shown that curcumin repairs the brain's stem cells. These are the same stem cells that can help people recover from neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and stroke.

Aids In Digestion

When you have a problem with your digestive system, you can eat raw turmeric, which will help you deal with the problem. It is also thought to help with gas and bloating.

Has the power to heal

Turmeric has antiseptic and antibacterial properties that come from nature. You can sprinkle the powder on the wound to help it heal faster. Our ancestors always said that turmeric is better than a pill for a burn, a cut, or an infection.

Diabetes and Turmeric

Curcumin's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects can keep people with pre-diabetes from getting Type 2 diabetes. It also helps keep insulin levels in check and makes diabetes medicines work better.

Detoxifies liver

When you eat turmeric, your body makes more of the important enzymes that break down and remove toxins from your blood in the liver. It is also a tool for promoting liver health because it helps blood flow.