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The Health Benefits of Curry
January 18, 2007 |
When you ask most people what curry is, they will more than likely reply that it is a seasoning or spice used in various cuisines, including Chinese and Indian. While this is, in fact, true, curry powder can be used for many different purposes.
Curry is an assortment of spices that are blended together. The blends of the different spices used to make curry vary by region, however, the mixture commonly includes turmeric, ground cumin, coriander, and cardamom.
Turmeric, curry’s primary ingredient, is recognized immediately by its bright yellow color. A member of the ginger family, turmeric has long been associated with its healing properties. Used as a common antiseptic in India, turmeric is one of Ayurvedic medicine’s staples and is used regularly to treat damaged skin such as cuts or burns.
Over the past several decades, scientists have begun to extract curcumin, the primary active ingredient of turmeric, in order to study its wide range of medicinal properties. It has been recognized as having a positive effect on many common ailments due to its natural anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-tumor, and anti-amyloid properties.
Thanks to the increased scientific awareness of the healing properties of curry, more and more scientists are new beginning to investigate its potential for medicinal use. Learn about their discoveries below:
Brain and Neurological Health
Aging
Curry’s anti-inflammatory properties have been shown in studies to promote neurological health. In the past, other anti-inflammatory agents (such as pharmaceuticals) have proven beneficial for this purpose as well, although their use has been limited due to their harmful effects on other areas of the body including the liver, kidney, and stomach. Curry has not displayed these side effects and could prove a valuable alternative to other anti-inflammatory agents.
Alzheimer’s
A recent study indicated that curcumin (turmeric’s main active ingredient) has the ability to reduce the signature Alzheimer patient’s plaque in the brain and reduce the reformation of the plaque significantly. Although more research is needed, this could provide researchers with valuable tools with which to battle Alzheimer’s, a disease effecting almost five million Americans.
Cancer
Breast Cancer
In a recent study with laboratory mice, turmeric (curry’s primary ingredient) has proven to slow the spread of breast cancer into other areas of the body. It was also found that turmeric actually enhances the effect of a popular chemotherapy drug, taxol, and works to further reduce the metastasis of the cancer.
Skin Cancer
Curcumin, the primary active ingredient of turmeric (the main ingredient of curry) has recently shown in studies to be useful in the battle against skin cancers such as melanoma.
It was found that the introduction of curcumin to laboratory dishes containing cells of melanoma causes the cancer’s cells to self-destruct more often in a process known as apoptosis. This discovery can assist scientists in finding ways not only to control cancer, but to prevent it altogether. Other studies have already indicated that populations with large consumption rates of curry have a significantly reduced risk of having certain cancers.
Other Diseases/Ailments
Cystic Fibrosis
A study conducted on mice at Yale University has shown that curcumin has the ability to restore physiologically appropriate levels of protein function.
STD’s
Recent studies show that turmeric can be surprisingly effective in the treatment of several sexually transmitted diseases, including gonorrhea and chlamydia.
Psoriasis
Though formal research has not yet confirmed turmeric’s effect on patients with psoriasis, several pharmaceutical companies consider it effective enough to use as an ingredient in topical medications for the treatment of psoriasis.
A Bright Future for Curry…
Although it is seemingly obvious that curry promotes good health in a variety of ways, it could take many years before all of curry’s healing properties are recognized by doctors and scientists. Until that time, curry will continue its legacy as a dietary and medicinal staple for cultures throughout the world.