What are the Health Benefits of Turmeric?
Throughout Indian history, turmeric has been used for medicinal purposes. Important in both Siddha and Ayurvedic medicines to help with circulation, digestion, and heart health, turmeric was believed to have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties.
Modern medicine has proven all of these properties to be true! Turmeric contains a compound called curcumin which has many health benefits.
Does Turmeric Help With Heart Disease?
Curcumin found in turmeric, can help improve the function of the endothelium (or the lining of your blood vessels). Dysfunction of the endothelial is the main cause of heart disease. This lining of the blood vessels helps to regulate blood pressure, blood clotting, and other functions of your blood.
So √ turmeric promotes a healthy heart!
Does Turmeric Help With Inflammation?
Inflammation is a defense mechanism that your body uses to help fight off foreign invaders. When inflammation becomes chronic, it can lead to many different illnesses. Curcumin blocks NF-kB, a molecule that can turn on the genes for inflammation on a cellular level. It is believed that NF-kB plays a role in many chronic diseases.
So √ turmeric can help with inflammation!
Can Turmeric Help With Brain Health?
Not too long ago, it was believed that neurons in the brain stopped dividing and multiplying after childhood. It is now known that our brains produce BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) or a gene that promotes the development of neurons throughout your lifetime.
BDNF helps with everything from memory and learning to eating, drinking, and body weight. Low levels of BDNF can be responsible for depression and other mental health issues.
Studies have shown that curcumin may be helpful in increasing your brain’s levels of BDNF. This increase in BDNF may reverse many brain diseases, as well as help improve memory and attention spans!
So √ turmeric can be helpful in brain health!
How to Use Turmeric for Health
The Curcumin in Turmeric can be hard for our bodies to absorb. But when combined with a substance called piperine, your body’s adsorption increases by over 2000%! Where does one find piperine? In Black Pepper!
We’ve made it easy and delicious to get that magical curcumin and piperine combination with our three turmeric blends!
Daily Turmeric Blend with turmeric and earthy spices such as cinnamon, ginger, pepper, and cardamom makes it easy to add turmeric to your daily routine. We love it sprinkled on our oatmeal, and coffee, as well as in our coconut water and smoothies. It’s also an excellent addition to savory dishes such as roasted veggies, chicken, cottage cheese, and even popcorn.
Our Sweet Turmeric Blend features a strong cinnamon flavor making it a great complement to fruit, yogurt, smoothies, cereal, and oatmeal. We also like it added to cookies, cakes, and homemade granola in place of any other called-for spices. A few of us have even sprinkled it on our ice cream!
SpiceTopia’s Savory Turmeric Blend is an easy way to introduce the benefits of turmeric into your diet. The addition of garlic and onion in this blend adds an excellent base to gravies, sauces, salad dressings, scrambled eggs, legumes, and broths. We also love it sprinkled on avocado toast, rice, and pasta.
Turmeric can also be found in many of our other blends such as:
- Traditional Curry Powder
- Muchi Curry
- Lemon Curry
- Vindaloo Curry Powder
- Anacapa Deep Dive
- Ras El Hanout
- Baharat
As well as in several of our loose-leaf teas:
How will you be adding turmeric powder to your diet?
We love seeing what you create with our spices! Tag us on Instagram @spicetopia so we can enjoy them virtually with you! You can also find us on Pinterest and Facebook.
The Health Benefits of Turmeric
Note
Sources:
"10 Proven Health Benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin"
The Grammar of Spice by Caz Hildebrand