Turmeric- the good oil

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Turmeric has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine and research and more recently Western medicine is doing further studies to validate claims for its efficacy in treating many disorders.

Studies have suggested turmeric helps to prevent colon, stomach and skin cancers in rats, and studies have demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties, particularly in the knees.

Sadly many drugs people are on can either be enhanced or negatively affected by turmeric, so always seek medical advice from an informed medical practitioner. An excellent site to check if you should or should not take turmeric is https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/turmeric.

Rheumatoid and osteoarthritis

Dr Janet Funk (Endocrinologist in the UA Department of Medicine) and Dr Barbara Timmerman (Former Director of the National Institute of Health (Arizona) (2006).

Their study available in the Arthritis and Rheumatism  Journal found turmeric oil extract protects against arthritis. The pathway that produced these results also suggests the extract could be effective against other autoimmune diseases such as asthma, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease.

More recently Ramadan and El-Menshawy (2013) released findings in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases (16)2, that demonstrated high doses of ginger- turmeric oil were more effective than the drug indomethacin in rats, with fewer side effects. It also had a significantly beneficial effect on the immune system.

This study supported previous findings by Ramal, Al-Kahtani and El-sayed (2011) in Inflammation 34(4), where both ginger and turmeric demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties of both, but particularly turmeric, when compared to indomethacin.

So, for those of us who may be experiencing early symptoms of arthritis, this herb are definitely worth exploring. So many other herbs are also being validated as alternative treatment to often damaging pharmaceuticals.

Turmeric is a wonderful addition to your garden (Indoors if frost prone like us at Hallett and the Mid North) and also to your meal.