logo
logo
Sign in

Turmeric and brain function

avatar
Archie Heron
Turmeric and brain function

In order to enrich the taste of prepared dishes we often add many spices without realizing the properties they may have. Is it possible that seasoning dishes with turmeric will have healing effects?

Origin

Turmeric is an Indian spice responsible for giving a bright yellow colour to food and has been used for hundreds of years by the Ajuverdian medical system to treat a whole range of diseases, including those related to inflammation. Turmeric has an anti-inflammatory effect, thus increasing the body's immunity. The spice originates from Asia, and is also growing in South America. It is part of the curry spice. Curcuma is also increasingly used in modern medicine.

Properties

In human and animal studies it has been proven that turmeric has a strong antibacterial, antifungal and anti viral activity. Moreover, turmeric has a wide range of effects on the enzymes that are involved in most cellular pathways, especially those involved in signal transmission, tissue repair and inflammation prevention, and with the enzyme oxygenase 1, a stress response protein whose expression increases after ingestion of turmeric.

In vitro studies have also shown that turmeric inhibits the deposition of beta amyloid protein in brain tissue, which forms the so-called "old platelets", the main cause of Alzheimer's disease. These deposits destroy neurons and inhibit their ability to transmit signals.

In turn, animal studies have shown that turmeric has a protective effect against many neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia, age-related neurodegeneration and depression. Consumption of turmeric has been proven to improve memory and learning ability. One of the most recent studies carried out among 1000 Asians between 60 and 90 years of age shows that people who eat curry frequently have better cognitive skills, including memory and attention, compared to people who season their food with turmeric occasionally. Of course, the possibility of other substances that are part of curry should be considered here.

Summary

Of course, the therapeutic advantages of turmeric require further research, but already on the basis of the results obtained so far it can be concluded that turmeric can have a beneficial effect on the functioning of our brain and nervous system. Not only does turmeric colour the food and give it a specific aroma similar to pepper and musk and a delicate taste, similar to ginger, but it also has healing properties.

collect
0
avatar
Archie Heron
guide
Zupyak is the world’s largest content marketing community, with over 400 000 members and 3 million articles. Explore and get your content discovered.
Read more