Turmeric -- a kitchen spice with a peppery, pungent flavor -- is used to add color and zest to recipes, particularly those featuring rice. A mainstay of Asian, Moroccan and Ethiopian cuisines, turmeric is also a key ingredient in both curry powder and mustard. Herbalists have long advised the use of turmeric to treat inflammatory conditions such as osteoarthritis; scientific research supports this use. Consult your doctor before using turmeric.
Features
Turmeric -- botanically known as Curcuma longa -- is a perennial plant grown in tropical Asia, China and India. A relative of ginger, turmeric features roughly rectangular leaves, yellow flowers and a fibrous root, which has a brilliant orange-red color on the inside. The root, which is prized in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Ayurvedic healing systems, was a treatment for leprosy as early as 1000 B.C. Other traditional uses include treating jaundice, hepatitis, hemorrhage, and flatulence and combating intestinal parasites in both people and elephants. Turmeric poultices were also used topically for pain.
Constituents and Effects
60 percent of the turmeric root is made up of volatile oils, including the compounds tumerone and artumerone; Herb Companion notes that artumerone gives the spice its peppery, burning quality. Zingiberene -- also found in ginger -- makes up another 25 percent. However, most of the therapeutic qualities of turmeric come from its content of a yellow antioxidant pigment called curcumin. Drugs.com -- which provides peer-reviewed medical information to consumers -- reports that curcumin is superior to other natural antioxidants because it contains two polyphenolic functional groups rather than one. Drugs.com credits turmeric with anticancer effects and strong antioxidant properties, and reports that it can decrease serum cholesterol and lipid profiles in healthy human volunteers. In animal and test tube studies, curcumin from turmeric reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines and other markers of inflammation.. Herb Companion reports that curcumin has anti-microbial effects, and is active against S. aureus, a common pathogen.
Research
In a pilot study published in 2005 in "Digestive Diseases and Sciences," patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease experienced measurable improvements after being given curcumin derived from turmeric. Researchers attributed the results to curcumin's anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities and called for further studies. In a study published in 2006 in "European Journal of Cancer," researchers found that curcumin reduced levels of cyclooxygenase-2, or COX-2, an inflammatory enzyme; this action helped inhibit growth of intestinal adenomas in mice.
Usage and Precautions
Powdered turmeric root can be taken in the amounts of .5 to 6 g a day. Turmeric extracts standardized at 90 to 95 percent curcumin may be taken in dosages of 250 to 500 mg three times a day for anti-inflammatory effects. Adverse reactions are rare, but can include skin irritation and gastrointestinal problems. Turmeric is considered safe as a food, but has been reported to cause uterine contractions; don't consume large amounts if you are pregnant or breast feeding. Consult your doctor before using turmeric.
References
- Drugs.com: Complete Turmeric Information
- Herb Companion; The Health Benefits of Turmeric; Cornelia Carlson; November 1994
- Blue Shield Complementary and Alternative Health: Turmeric
- "Digestive Diseases and Sciences"; Curcumin Therapy In Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Pilot Study; P.R. Holt; November 2005
- "European Journal of Cancer"; Cyclooxygenase-2 Expression And Oxidative DNA Adducts in Murine Intestinal Adenomas: Modification By Dietary Curcumin and Implications For Clinical Trials; R.G. Tunstall, et al.; January 2006
