The root of Curcuma longa is ground up to provide the yellow dye and flavored powder known as haldi in India, and turmeric in the West. Turmeric is cultivated and produced in several countries in south-eastern Asia and is used widely in Asian and Indian dishes: as a colorant for rice, a standard constituent of curry and as an inexpensive substitute for saffron. Turmeric’s most important phytochemical, curcumin, is often added to food products as a coloring and to prevent their spoilage by oxidation. Herbalists prescribe it to prevent heart disease and cancer, and to treat HIV infection and arthritis. An increasing body of scientific research is showing turmeric to be one of the most valuable medicinal spices with potent preventive and, in some cases, therapeutic effects against a variety of serious chronic diseases.

Important Phytochemicals

Antioxidants: Caffeic acid, camphene, coumaric acid, curcumin, eugenol, gamma terpinene, protocatechuic acid, salicylates, tetrahydrocurcumin, turmerin, turmeronol, vanillic acid

Others: Curcumol, curdione, turmerone, zingiberene
 
Medicinal Properties
Cancer
Turmeric’s main constituent phytochemical, curcumin, is one of the most remarkable and most studied of all the spice compounds. In addition to its other medicinal properties, curcumin is an extremely valuable chemoprotective agent. Much of the research and interest in curcumin has centered on breast cancer, but it has also been found to have protective effects against cancers of the bladder, stomach, uterus and cervix. When measured against other phytochemicals that protect against cancer, curcumin exhibits at least a ten times greater chemoprotective potency than its closest rival.  In vitro studies have shown that a single dose of curcumin inhibits cancer cell proliferation for over six days following its administration.

Alzheimer’s (AD) and Parkinson’s Diseases
Curcumin exhibits several properties that make it a valuable preventive agent for these two devastating and increasingly common diseases. Recent research, moreover, suggests that curcumin may also be able to reverse Alzheimer’s disease. Thus, although turmeric is probably most effective as a preventive agent against these illnesses, it may also help by improving cognitive problems and preventing further deterioration of existing disease.

Inflammatory Diseases
With its powerful combination of anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, turmeric is one of the most valuable spices for the prevention and treatment of disorders like arthritis and other inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Turmeric has been used for millennia in Ayurveda and other traditional medical systems and is considered a stalwart in the treatment of these diseases. Much of its anti-inflammatory potency can be attributed to curcumin which is both an effective COX-2 inhibitor as well as a strong antioxidant. However, other phytochemicals found in turmeric, in particular the salicylates, also make a valuable contribution to its anti-inflammatory activities and thereby its preventive properties against arthritis and autoimmune disorders.  

Chelation
Copper and iron are both essential nutrients but if they accumulate in excessive quantities they can cause serious and sometimes irreversible oxidative damage to a variety of tissues in the body. They also induce the activity of NF-κB, a cytokine associated with inflammation of many tissue types. Curcumin is a powerful chelating agent for both metals, binding to the metal ions and allowing them to be safely excreted in the urine.