Turmeric, a popular spice used for cooking, is medicinal according to various studies. It doesn’t only help in fighting cancer; it is also known to help with health problems like anxiety and arthritis. Health researchers are of the view that turmeric possesses cancer-fighting properties.
What is Turmeric?
Turmeric is gotten from the root of the turmeric plant and can be grouped under the same family group as ginger. This spice is mostly grown in Africa and Asia and is a staple in most dishes. This flavorful spice is said to possess about a hundred compounds and the outstanding one is curcumin. Curcumin is a potent ingredient that creates numerous health benefits when this spice is used.
How does Turmeric help with cancer?
Studies have shown that the health-inducing ingredient in turmeric plays a mighty role in killing cancer cells, preventing cancer growth and even reducing side effects from treatment with turmeric. These are achieved through the following ways:
The ingredient in turmeric has Antioxidant properties:
With antioxidant properties, it will help decrease swelling in cancer patients. This will help in making chemotherapy more effective to avoid the spread of cancer to other parts of the body.
Aids in reducing inflammation levels in the body:
It is known that chronic inflammation in the body brings about the chronic disease in which cancer is one of them. Studies have shown that curcumin which is an ingredient in turmeric inhibits enzymes like inducible nitric oxide synthase which is needed to regulate inflammatory processes in the body. So curcumin helps regulate these abnormalities to fight inflammatory disorders that will bring certain cancers.
Turmeric has properties that can kill tumor cells:
This is one strong reason why curcumin is seen as a future ingredient for drug development because it has found out that it uses various mechanisms to fight cancer cells and goes further to wreck the growth of new blood vessels in tumors. So it can stop tumor cells growth in the body.
Adding turmeric to a chemotherapy regimen brings effective results:
This is another great area by which turmeric is most useful for a cancer patient. Of course, the sole aim of a chemotherapy regimen or session is for a positive result for a cancer patient. Anything to make it effective to boost the chances will be most welcome and of course, this is what the use of curcumin from turmeric seek to achieve. Adding curcumin to a chemotherapy regimen makes the treatment more potent.
I have read reports where it is claimed that turmeric is better than chemo. However, authenticity of such researches can always be doubted.
I can’t speak for people who have suffered from cancer. But I can say my experience using turmeric has been very positive. There is a reason people call this spice “gold”. It has numerous health benefits.