Turmeric: from kitchen cabinet to medicine chest - The Herbalist

Vegetarian Times, August, 1997 by Susan L. McMahon

Known as the poor man's saffron, turmeric is an ancient spice whose use dates back to the time of the Egyptian pharaohs. Highly prized by both muslims and Indo-Europeans for its medicinal uses, it is just coming into its own as a powerful natural medicine in the West where research is beginning to confirm the potent roles it plays as an anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimutagenic and antioxidant remedy.

Turmeric or Curcuma longa consists of more than 100 species and over 30 varieties of a cylindrical tuber (rhizome) with orange-colored flesh. Botanically related to ginger, (Zingiber officinale) the intensity of its yellow-orange color and fragrant, earthy aroma depends on the plant's maturity at harvest, the more mature the better. After harvesting, the rhizomes are cured, dried, sliced and powdered for commercial use, mainly iin curry powdre and mustard, although turmeric also is widely used as a natural dye in cosmetics, fabric and food.

Turmeric is much more than a coloring agent. A traditional remedy in Ayurvedic medicine, and ancient Indian healing system that dates back over 5,000 years, it has been used through the ages as an "herbal aspirin" and "herbal cortisone" to relieve discomfort and inflammation associated with an extraordinary spectrum of infectious and autoimmune diseases. Indian materia Medica (Popular Prakashan, 1976), a standard Ayurdevic reference, cites dozens of conditions in which turmeric can be helpful as an adjunctive therapy including tissue injury or irritation, microbial infections, fevers, allergies, sinusitis, gastritis, colitis, hepatitis, kidney disease, arthritis dermatitis, phlebitis, tuberculosis and autoimmune disorders.

It is also cited as a remedy for liver disorders accompanied by jaundice. Topically, it can be used as a poultice to reduce inflammation and swelling due to sprains, cuts, bruises and superficial infections, including those of the eye -- which are treated with an eyewash containing turmeric that cools and soothes burning eyes. Another traditional use is to relieve congestion -- inhaling the fumes of burning turmeric directly into the nostrils is said to cause copious mucous discharge. Turmeric also is given to relieve diarrhea and fevers, as well as vertigo, when applied directly to the scalp. Used for skin infections, colic, menstrual problems and congestion in China and Cambodia, the tuber also is used as a tonic, stimulant and diuretic in Madagascar.

Can any other remedy match turmeric for this whole medicine cabinet full of uses? According to Mark Blumenthal, executive director of the American Botanical Council based in Austin, Texas, "The high degree of reverence for turmeric is evidenced by the fact that its is used in nearly all Asian cultures, each having its own name for the spice." In Chinese traditional medicine it is known as "Jiang Huang," and used to eliminate flatulence; resolve liver and urinary problems, menstrual disorders, hemorrhage, fever and chest pain; and prepared as a poultice for sores, wounds, bruises and infections.

Although the chemical structure of this remarkable spice, food preservative and dye was identified in 1910. it was only in the 1970s and 1980s that its many, varied health-promoting properties were identified. Now, research is confirming what traditional healers have known all along, that the fresh juice of the root reduces swelling in bruises, wounds and insect bites and the dried powder kills parasites, relieves head colds and arthritic aches and pains. Reasearch is also beginning to show that turmeric may be a valuable anticancer agent.

According to Joseph Pizzorno, N.D., president of Bastyr University and author of Total Wellness (Prima Publishing, 1996), curcumin, one of the active chemical components in turmeric, is useful in preventing cancer because of its ability to inhibit powerful carcinogens, such as benzopyrene, by both lowering the level of activated carcinogens and increasing the amount of carcinogens detoxified by the liver.

Ordinarily, as people age, they become more vulnerable to toxic substances. In aging, the enzymes needed for detoxification reactions are less active and blood circulartion to the liver, the body's detox "factory," is reduced. These changes, coupled with reduced physical activity and poor nutrition, common problems in older people, contribute to a sharp falloff in the effectiveness of the body's own detoxification system. As a result, levels of toxic chemicals can build up in the bloodstream, which may help to explain why cancer is more frequent in older people and why toxic reactions to drugs are more common, says Pizzorno, who adds that curcumin also blocks the growth of cancer cells directly.

Turmeric is a powerful, anti-inflammatory agent, useful for any disorder or condition that is accompanied by inflammation, as the ancient Hindy physicians recognized. Taken orally, turmeric inhibits the response of the body to inflammatory agents both directly and indirectly, by stimulating production of natural corticosteroids from the adrenal glands, "sensitizing" cortisone receptor sites on cells, and preventing the breakdown of cortisol. In fact, curcumin has been found to be every bit as effective as the pharmaceutical drugs cortisone and phenylbutazone in clinical trials. Unlike anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals, curcumin has no known side effects. Rated by the editors of Time-Life Books (The Alternative Advisor, 1997) as one of the 75 most effective herbs, the authors cite a baker's dozen medical applications for the spice, including many of the Ayurvedic applications.