Health Benefits: Get to Know Turmeric

Find out how this common herb can do wonders for your health

Without a doubt, turmeric is a powerful spice that can have positive effects on your health. It is recognised for being an antioxidant as well as an anti-inflammatory agent.

Turmeric is actually the dried and ground rhizome of a plant in the same family as ginger. It has an earthy flavor with a distinct color which has been used a lot in natural medicine.

Let’s dig a bit deeper and find out why turmeric is good for the body:

Turmeric Increases the Antioxidant Capacity of the Body

It’s important to protect our body from free radicals since they are the highly reactive molecules that cause oxidative damage leading to aging and many diseases.

The curcumin found in turmeric helps neutralise free radicals and boosts the activity of the body’s own antioxidant enzymes.

Turmeric Helps Lower your Risk to Cardiovascular Disease

Curcumin helps improve the lining of your blood vessels which improves the regulation of your blood pressure and avoid blood clotting in the long run. According to studies, there has been a 65 percent decreased risk of experiencing a heart attack if you consume turmeric regularly.

Turmeric Helps Treat Alzheimer’s disease

This neurodegenerative disease is often a leading cause of dementia. Though there is no good treatment available for this ailment, curcumin helps clear the protein tangles in Alzheimer’s disease. Curcumin has beneficial effects on inflammation and oxidative damage, thus, making it a natural remedy to lower the risk of the said disease or reverse its progression.

Turmeric Fights Against Depression

According to research, curcumin is an effective antidepressant as it boosts the brain neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. A study was conducted wherein 60 depressed patients showed that curcumin has the same effect with Prozac when it comes to alleviating the symptoms of depression.

You can opt to drink turmeric supplements or look for turmeric powder which you can mix with your daily tea.

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