Turmeric Health Benefits and Your Recommended Daily Amount

If you're reading this, you've probably heard of the tremendous turmeric health benefits. You'd like to know more about how this spice can benefit you and your family and your recommended daily amount.

That's understandable. After all, the wonders of turmeric seem to be showing up everywhere these days. It's involved in at least 8 different studies at the National Institutes of Health and prominent naturopaths quote its effectiveness in many more.

So what does it do?

It may protect against cancer. Researchers at Kansas State University found it can reduce carcinogenic compounds in fried and grilled meat by up to 40%.

At the University of Texas, researchers found it can inhibit the spread of breast cancer to the lungs.

Currently, it's involved in multiple cancer studies around the country. Preliminary research shows it may be especially effective with colon, pancreatic, breast and lung cancers. In fact, each of these cancers are 10 times lower in India where turmeric is eaten on a regular basis.

It's a Cox-2 inhibitor. Osteoarthritis patients have used it successfully to treat knee pain. In fact, it may be as useful as a cortisone shot. One study showed patients who received the "best possible care" plus 200 mg of curcurmin -the active ingredient in turmeric-showed significant lowered inflammation.

In fact, some doctors are hoping it can phase out the use of NSAIDS for mild to moderate cases of osteoarthritis.

It's good for your liver. Turmeric is a blood purifier and helps the liver to release toxins quicker because it breaks down two important toxins.

It's so effective, some doctors say it may be able to reverse the effects of cirrhosis of the liver.

It's also good for your skin. Used by Indian women for centuries for beautiful skin some swear it rids your skin of troublesome acne and keeps healthy skin looking great. You can make a paste with yogurt for topical use or take it internally.

Turmeric health benefits are too many to list here. In addition to the health benefits above, it's said to lower cholesterol, protect against Alzheimer's and even reduce the risk of childhood leukemia among others.

Turmeric comes from a plant native to India. It's a bright yellow spice and found at any grocery store though you can find tinctures at health food stores. Commonly used in Indian cooking, scientists are now giving it credit for the lower rates of cancer and Alzheimer's found in India.

It's the curcumin in the plant that's the active pharmacology agent. Curcurmin gives the turmeric its yellow color and you want to make sure you're getting plenty of it in your diet.

Turmeric Health Benefits and Daily Recommended Amount

With all these health benefits, you may wonder, how much is your daily recommended amount?

Well, it depends. If you have cancer or arthritis, you should speak with your doctor before adding large amounts of turmeric to your diet.

If you'd just like to include it for preventative measures, you can take a vitamin with turmeric that includes over 90% of the active pharmacology agent, curcumin so you receive the maximum health benefits.