Touted as one of the most potent and powerful spices used in Indian cooking, turmeric is also a storehouse of healthy properties. This ancient root has found its way into the age-old books of Ayurveda. Turmeric, popularly known as haldi in India, has much more to offer that it is usually known for. Its health benefits go way beyond wound healing.
Traditionally, some of the most common benefits associated with turmeric consumption or its topical application would include strengthening your immunity, internal healing, curing wounds and improving virility. Indian cooking rests heavily on the addition of turmeric. Besides being used as a spice, turmeric juice and an even more popular - what can possibly be termed as the desi energy drink - haldi doodh (turmeric milk) has been recommended by our grannies as a remedy for almost all possible ailments.
"What makes turmeric so special and beneficial to human health is the presence of a chemical compound known as curcumin," noted Dr. Ashutosh Gautam, Clinical Operations and Coordination Manager at Baidyanath. But how does adding turmeric in milk help? "It is because curcumin has the ability to get absorbed in the fat and tissues of our body and that is how it benefits the body. Milk becomes a smooth medium through which curcumin travels better and speedier to those fats and tissues facilitating its better absorption," clarified Dr. Gautam.
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Health Benefits of Turmeric
A pinch of turmeric a day keeps the memory loss away
Eating a single gram of turmeric each day could cause short-term memory improvements in people predisposed to memory loss, according to a study conducted by researchers from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and several Taiwanese research institutes, and published in the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
"Our findings with turmeric are consistent with these observations, insofar as they appear to influence cognitive function where there is disordered energy metabolism and insulin resistance," researcher Mark Wahlqvist said.
Turmeric root has been used as a spice and medicine for thousands of years and is still an important component in traditional Asian cooking and medicinal systems. It is a critical component of curry powders, giving them their yellow color. That yellow color itself comes from a trio of chemicals known as "curcuminoids," the most commonly known being curcumin. In recent years, much research has focused on the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and other health-promoting benefits of curcumin.
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