The amazing health benefits of turmeric and curcumin include the ability to reduce inflammation, heal wounds, improve skin health, protect cognitive abilities, and ease menstrual difficulties. Turmeric also helps eliminate depression, alleviate pain, slow down aging, protect the digestive tract, and prevent cancer.
What is Turmeric?
Closely related to the other members of the ginger family, turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a perennial herb native to India. The herb itself is derived from the rhizome of the plant, which is dried before the useful powdered form can be acquired. It needs a rather specific temperature and environment to thrive, so it is not widely cultivated throughout the world but is exported due to its desirability. The bright yellow color of this herb is perhaps its most striking characteristic. You’ve certainly seen it, even if you haven’t recognized it, and if you have ever enjoyed Indian food, you have almost certainly consumed it.
Turmeric smells slightly like mustard but has a hot, almost pepper-like bitterness to it that complements a variety of dishes. The herb has also been praised as one of the most comprehensive and powerful herbal medicines in Ayurvedic treatments and other traditional cultural remedies. Curcumin is the most important active ingredient of this “super herb”.
Nutrition
Turmeric is one of the most nutritionally rich herbs. As per the USDA, it contains good amounts of protein, vitamin C, calcium, iron, dietary fiber, sodium, and about 24 calories in a 1 tablespoon serving of turmeric powder. It also provides a rich supply of vitamin B6, potassium, magnesium, and manganese.