Some of the best Indian food I’ve ever tasted was cooked in London. I always knew that the British loved Indian cuisine and that they once held governance over the country. But what I didn’t know was that curry was introduced to Indian cuisine by the Brits! (Just a little fun fact to chew on).
In traditional cultures that are thousands of years old, like India, there are deep traditions of cooking daily meals with medicinal roots and herbs. These herbs act as preventive measures for sustaining good health, and prevention is the cornerstone of India’s traditional Ayurvedic medicine.
Turmeric is one such medicinal root that has made its way into a vast number of Indian recipes. Aside from your standard Chicken or Goat curries, there is a whole list of Indian dishes that contain flavorful thermogenic ingredients like cardamom, coriander, ginger, cloves, chili and turmeric. Not only are the recipes tasty, the ones containing turmeric are especially healthful.
Anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor & antioxidant properties
Research by Sarker et al. notes its powerful anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor and antioxidant properties. Moreover, the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health have this to say: “Laboratory and animal research has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties of turmeric and its constituent curcumin.”
It is true that inflammation is a natural response your body has to potentially damaging stimuli. Catch cold, sprain an ankle and the immune system kicks in, produces swelling to guard while healing takes place. But often the body does not know how or when to stop the inflammation and this causes too much fibrin in the tissues that can lead to pain and stiffness. If left untreated, it can become a chronic health issue.
Unlike aspirin or ibuprophen, turmeric’s curcumin reduces inflammation naturally, without damaging the liver or kidneys. It has been found especially helpful in treating conditions like arthritis, sports injuries, irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease, tendonitis and various autoimmune diseases. Some research even suggests that curcumin may also help those suffering asthma, inflammatory bowel disease and, yes, even cancer.
Digestive disorders to cancer
Since turmeric’s curcumin component is an anti-inflammatory as well as an antioxident agent, it has been used for treating wounds, digestive disorders, liver issues, arthritis, and in the prevention of cancer. Statistics also show that Asian children experience less incidence of leukemia than their Western counterparts, and it seems a diet rich in turmeric may be the reason why.
Recent studies show that rats that were prone to multiple sclerosis developed very few if any symptoms after being given curcumin. The journal Science reported in their April 23, 2004 issue that curcumin has countered in mice, the genetic damage that leads to cystic fibrosis, a lung disorder. It was also shown that curcumin protects against alcohol’s damaging affects on the liver as well as harmonizing the stomach and digestion.
Thousands of scientific articles on the efficacy of curcumin are found within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Library of Medicine’s PubMed MEDLINE database. These show curcumin to be effective in the treatment of inflammation, woulds, cancer, heart disease and as a preventive measure against arthritis, Crohn’s disease, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), neurological diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, type II diabetes, cataracts, cystic fibrosis, scleroderma and many others.
As if that list were too small, as reported in the Journal of Alternative & Complementary Therapies, the U.S.D.A. Agricultural Research Service lists nearly 80 biologic activities associated with curcumin, from anti-HIV to anti-ulcerogenic actions.
My advice: Everyone enjoy Indian food containing turmeric at least once a week as a symptomatic and preventive measure.
References:
Cronin, J.R. (2003, Feb). “Curcumin: Old spice is a new medicine.” Journal of Alternative & Complementary Therapies, p. 34-38.
Egan, M.E., et al. (2004, April). “Curcumin, a Major Constituent of Turmeric, Corrects Cystic Fibrosis Defects.” Science (304), p. 600-602.
National Institutes of Health.(2008). “MedlinePlus Herbs and Supplements: Turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn.) and Curcumin.” US Department of Health and Human Services; Natural Standard Research Collaboration. nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus
Sarker, S.D., et al. (2007). “Bioactivity of Turmeric,” in Turmeric: The genus Curcuma; Medicinal and aromatic plants–industrial profiles. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.
Mark V. Wiley is unique. As a doctor of both Oriental and Alternative medicine, best selling author, martial art master and international seminar instructor… no one does for wellness what he does!
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How about taking a small dose on a daily basis?
It doesn’t have to be Indian food. Use your own recipes and add turmeric for a richer, earthy taste – not strong, so it won’t change the nature of the dish like chilli or ginger. Lovely yellow colouring and an extra depth of flavour.
There is a special form of curcumin which crosses the blood-brain-barrier by Longvida. It can be used for strokes, Alzheimer’s, etc.
It is not a fact that: “…curry was introduced to Indian cuisine by the Brits!…”
The word curry is itself derived from the south Indian word ‘kari’.
Respectfully K.G. there appears to be some real evidence for the English curry thing.
Although in the past it has generally been accepted that the word itself orginated in India when explored further it became clear that this was anything but clear.
In fact during the time of Richard I when there was a revolution of sorts in English cusinine and it was quite common in the kitchens of the wealthy to use an expensive mixture of spices that were similar to what we tend to think of as “Indian curry” today including cumin, cardamom, cloves etc.
And a printed reference to “cury” was made in what was the first English cook book during Richard the II’s rein (1377-1399) “forme of cury was compiled of the chef maistes cokes of kyng Richard the Secunde kyng of nglond aftir the conquest…”
So in actuality when the first English merchants entered Surat (1608), Calcutta (1633), and Madras (1640) the word “cury” had already been within the English language for well over 200 years.
Interesting huh?
Come, come, Dr. Wiley. Curry introduced to Indian cuisine by the Brits!!! Tell us another. First of all, what defines ‘curry”? Spices, for curry is a generic word for a spiced dish, typically but not necessarily Indian. And r u saying spiced dishes were introduced to India by the Brits? Please don’t reduce the credibility of the rest of yr write-up by making such ridiculous statements. Unless, of course u hv backup evidence. Waiting with bated breath to hear more on this from Healthiertalk.com.
PS: A disclaimer. I am an Indian, but hv no hangup about accepting this if it can be supported. Makes no difference to me whether curry is indigenous or not, just eat it every day. It’s just that the stt sounds so bizarre.
There appears to be evidence that curcumin binds to the vitamin D receptor (VDR). That’s one possible explanation for the mice with MS showing few symptoms. This particular study’s hypothesis links curcumin’s chemoprevention activity to activation of VDR.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20153625
For the same token, spaghetti would seem as an exclusive staple from Italy, and it is now, but actually came from China and introduced to Italy, though turmeric could have been introduced by the British it does not surprise me one bit, Brittan and Spain were all over the world at one time, I am glad that this spice have some wonderful properties as others and if we use them on a regular basis of course if one is not allergic to them, as in some nuts for instance, there are mounds of benefits from its oils yet for some are killers. JAM
Mark V. Wiley,
did you read anywhere, if curcumin can heal from hepatitis B, finaly to get rid of HBS Antigene totally ? Or in which daily amounts to use ?
Thanks
Cultures that consume a lot of curcumin and other spices have much lower rates of degenerative diseases in general. To get the real benefits, though, you have to eat more than one spicy meal a week. Curcumin is available as a nutritional supplement, so you can have it every day without eating curry!
Always Add Black Pepper When Using Turmeric. Turmeric/curcumin is not absorbed well when eaten on its own. But there’s an easy solution — always add a little black pepper.
Studies conducted through St. John’s Medical College in Bangalore, India, showed that adding just one percent black pepper to turmeric enhances the concentration, absorption and bioavailability of curcumin by a factor of 2000%!
stan mrak