Turmeric is considered as the most-effective nutritional supplement available today in the market. Several high-quality studies have revealed major benefits for brain and body with turmeric. Bioactive compounds of turmeric such as curcumin hold powerful medicinal properties with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Scientists believe that low-level and chronic inflammation plays a significant role in nearly every Western and chronic disease including Alzheimer’s, metabolic syndrome, cancer, heart disease and several degenerative conditions as well.
Can Turmeric Powder Treat Cancer?
A team of American-Indian researchers have taken immense efforts in using creative process with curcumin (turmeric’s bioactive compound), benefitting in killing cancer cells. Curcumin holds anti-cancer properties; however, its poor water soluble properties is expected to overpower its medicinal benefits. Platinum is the most common cancer therapeutic agent utilized in clinic and therefore, researchers took a strategic effort in developing a drug with the combination of curcumin and platinum. This is considered as a combination of nano-precipitation and clever chemistry and this sophisticated chemistry helps in driving solubility of turmeric’s bioactive compound, simultaneously resulting in emergence of an additional anti-cancer agent, known as platinum. Most of all, the combined therapeutic effect of platinum and bioactive compound of turmeric is lethal for cancer cells.
A recent report by U.S. National Academy of Sciences reveals, with the help of this metallocyclic complex developed with platinum, along with the solubility of curcumin, effective results were witnessed in cancer treatments such as breast cancer cells and melanoma. The curcumin-platinum combination kills the cancer cells by splitting its DNA.
Improvement in Eye Conditions and Alzheimer’s disease with Turmeric: Reveals Study
According to reports, turmeric can be beneficial for treating a set of eye conditions that damages optic nerves, resulting in vision loss. The research study indicates that dispensing curcumin (turmeric’s bioactive compound) directly to back of the eye, with the help of eye drops can help in reducing loss of retinal cells that is considered as early sign of eye condition glaucoma. Researchers have developed nano-carrier that held the bioactive compound of turmeric within surfactant combined with stabilizer, both safe for human use and eye products as well.
Researchers are of the point of view that bioactive compound of turmeric has shown promising results at treating and detecting neurodegeneration, implicated in various brain and eye conditions from Alzheimer’s disease to glaucoma, thereby dispensing it easily in eye drops, benefitting millions of people. According to American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, turmeric can help in lowering risks of Alzheimer’s disease, thereby improving mood and memory in people with age-related and mild memory loss. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin helps in promoting good health.
How are Heart Failure Patients Benefitting with Turmeric?
US researchers from University of Nebraska found out that reduction in normal signaling of protein Nrf2 might play a significant role in impaired expression of the antioxidant enzymes. These antioxidant enzymes help in repairing and preventing damage from the oxidative stress, thereby improving exercise performance. Activation of protein Nrf2 in the skeletal muscle is likely to represent new therapeutic strategy for improving quality of life of individuals suffering from heart failure along with decreased ejection fraction.
Other Initiatives Include,
Telangana government has taken up a major initiative in setting up special cell for the turmeric farmers, thereby helping them in bringing about qualitative changes for the cultivation of turmeric as a commercial crop. This initiative is taken up by the state government in a bid to cater to the demand of the turmeric farmers for having a single national turmeric board that would help in addressing several issues faced before and after harvest practices of the turmeric crop.
click here for more information on the global turmeric consumption patterns.