Turmeric Health Benefits 

In the first half, researcher Christian Wilde detailed the health benefits of the natural spice turmeric, and its use as a treatment or preventative for such ailments as Parkinson’s disease, MS, cancer, and Alzheimer’s. According to his research, there are some 650 to 700 conditions that could benefit from turmeric supplementation. For people concerned about fluoride in their water supply, turmeric has been found to neutralize toxins, he noted, as well as having antimicrobial, anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-viral, and anti-fungal properties. The neurodegenerative disease Parkinson’s involves the death of neurons in the brain, and patients have low levels of Vitamin D. Testing in Petri dishes has shown that neurons bathed in turmeric have 80% regrowth, and these results are being studied for further applications, he reported.

In China and India, the numbers for Alzheimer’s patients are much lower, which may relate to the fact that they have more turmeric in their diet, he indicated. A study from Vanderbilt University found that curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) “has demonstrated ability to enter the brain, bind to, and destroy the beta-amyloid plaques present in Alzheimer’s disease,” Wilde quoted from the paper. Turmeric has also shown some promise as a cancer preventative and remedy. Working with the MD Anderson Cancer Centers, biochemist Bharat Aggarwal has said ‘in 50 years of research, I have seen no cancer that has not benefited from turmeric.’ It’s well established, Wilde added, that turmeric kills cancer cells on contact but preserves healthy cells. Further, oncologists are now considering combining turmeric with chemotherapy treatments to enhance effectiveness.