Turmeric - The Wonder Root
WHAT AM I? Yes, I'm fresh turmeric.
Well done Darlene, it is fresh turmeric. Thanks to my daughter Nicole and her finance Dave, they found it at a local farmers market. This is an ingredient that's difficult to find fresh but so worth it. It's like finding a diamond in the ruff.
Turmeric is referred to as the "golden spice" and not just for it's color.
As per NCBI, " The use of turmeric dates back nearly 4000 years to the Vedic culture in India, where it was used as a culinary spice and had some religious significance. It probably reached China by 700 ad, East Africa by 800 ad, West Africa by 1200 ad, and Jamaica in the eighteenth century. In 1280, Marco Polo described this spice, marveling at a vegetable that exhibited qualities so similar to that of saffron. According to Sanskrit medical treatises and Ayurvedic and Unani systems, turmeric has a long history of medicinal use in South Asia. Susruta’s Ayurvedic Compendium, dating back to 250 BC, recommends an ointment containing turmeric to relieve the effects of poisoned food."
We know that turmeric is a natural anti-inflammatory and is a perennial plant belonging to the ginger family Zingiberaceae, which is native to tropical South Asia.
Turmeric and especially its most active compound curcumin have many scientifically-proven health benefits, such as the potential to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer's and cancer. It's a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis.
According to WebMd, here is some usesful information about turmeric:
Possibly Effective for
Hay fever. Taking curcumin, a chemical found in turmeric, seems to reduce hayfever symptoms such as sneezing, itching, runny nose, and congestion.
Depression. Most available research shows that taking curcumin, a chemical found in turmeric, reduces depression symptoms in people already using an antidepressant.
High levels of cholesterol or other fats (lipids) in the blood (hyperlipidemia). Turmeric seems to lower levels of blood fats called triglycerides. The effects of turmeric on cholesterol levels are conflicting. There are many different turmeric products available. It is not known which ones work best.
Buildup of fat in the liver in people who drink little or no alcohol (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease or NAFLD). Research shows that taking turmeric extract reduces markers of liver injury in people who have a liver disease not caused by alcohol. It also seems to help prevent the build-up of more fat in the liver in people with this condition.
Osteoarthritis. Some research shows that taking turmeric extracts, alone or in combination with other herbal ingredients, can reduce pain and improve function in people with knee osteoarthritis. In some research, turmeric worked about as well as ibuprofen for reducing osteoarthritis pain. But it does not seem to work as well as diclofenac for improving pain and function in people with osteoarthritis.
Itching. Research suggests that taking turmeric by mouth three times daily for 8 weeks reduces itching in people with long-term kidney disease. Also, early research suggests that taking a specific combination product (C3 Complex, Sami Labs LTD) containing curcumin plus black pepper or long pepper daily for 4 weeks reduces itching severity and improves quality of life in people with chronic itching caused by mustard gas.
There are so many other inflammatory conditions that turmeric MAY help with. I have bad asthma/copd and wanted to boost my immune system. Turmeric is part of my morning juice of fresh carrot, fresh ginger, apple, cucumber and celery. The juice is sweet and delicious with a golden color from the turmeric.
This food blogger is going to continue to find fun ways to use fresh turmeric, after all, food is fuel for our bodies. Let's keep our bodies healthy and eat colorful fresh foods.
Enjoy!