Ayurveda therapies and treatment systems have evolved and developed for more than 2 millenia. Ayurveda also mentioned and taught us the surgical techniques like Rhinoplasty, Kidney stone extractions, Sutures and the extraction of other objects. Ayurveda developed significantly during the Vedic period and later some of the non-vedic such as Buddhism and Jainism also developed medical concepts and practices that appear in classical Ayurveda texts. Ayurveda believes that our body constitutes of 3 doshas namely Vata, Pitta and Kapha. The Ayurvedic herbs or medicines targets directly on these three elements in the body as it states that all the body deseases generates from doshas.
The basic element of the Ayurveda are the Ayurvedic herbs. All the medicines or therapies that Ayurveda produces are made up of Ayurvedic herbs or plants. More than 600 herbal formulas and 250 single plant remedies are included in the pharmacy of Ayurvedic treatments. One of most important and beneficial herb is Turmeric. We will talk about Turmeric, it’s function, benefits and other facts in this article.
What is Turmeric?
Turmeric (Haldi) is a widely used herb in almost every home of the country. Most of the people use it as a spice in vegetables. Many people don’t even know the actual benefits of Turmeric. Turmeric belongs to the ginger family in flora kingdom. It is a yellow coloured powder and also available in solid state. Let’s now state some of the major benefits of Turmeric on our body.
Benefits of Turmeric:-
Antioxidant – Turmeric is considered antioxidant which maintains our ageing process. If you consume turmeric regularly, it will reduce your ageing pace.
Arthritis – In the desease of arthritis, Turmeric is very helpful. It helps to cure your body from arthritis fastly and conveniently.
Reduces Inflammation – Turmeric has the power to reduce all the inflammatory problems in the human body. Knee pain, back pain or any other inflammation can be relieved from Turmeric.
Detoxifies Lever – If you have any lever desease, you must try Turmeric as it is recommended by many doctors and practitioners that it detoxifies our lever.
Refreshes Skin – You must have heard or even used the peel off masks or poultices of Turmeric. It moisturizes your skin and gives a shining texture.
Anti-cancer – Turmeric also has positive effects on a cancer patient. It increases the improvement speed in a cancer effected person.
Brain deseases – If you have any problems related to brain, you should try to consume Turmeric daily it will definitely give relief.
Curcumin – The main component of Turmeric is curcumin. It helps in many heart related problems and also boosts up immunity of the body.
How to use Turmeric :-
- The most basic state of using Turmeric is in powder form. It is popularly used in powder form in vegetables or any food items.
- You can mix the Turmeric powder in milk or warm water to consume.
- Turmeric can also be used in raw/solid form. You can take it as salads by cutting it in small pieces.
- In tea also you can mix the powder of Turmeric. It tastes great in tea and enhances it’s original taste.
- Turmeric is also used in vast number of medicines. You can take Turmeric tablets from market and consume with water.
- In some people depending upon the immunity, Turmeric can sometimes create problem in the process of absorption. For this, you can take it with black pepper. Turmeric when used with black pepper heats up the absorption process.
- You can take 1-8 grams of Turmeric per day in any form.
- It is advised to take Turmeric in the best natural form. Alteration in Turmeric has been too common. You must buy it from an authentic source.
Side effects of Turmeric :-
Almost every medicine in the medical world is induced with some side effects. In these cases, Ayurveda has least amount of side effects compared to any other medicines. If any substance has numerous benefits then some negative points are also common in that. Only mentioning the benefits of Turmeric, it would be biased article. So, here are some of the rare side effects.-
- In some people it has been observed that regular consumption of Turmeric led to gastritis problems in the body.
- If a person is sensitive to Turmeric then it trigger the stomach deseases like bloating or cramps.
- Turmeric also increases the blood sugar in our body. If you are taking insulins or medicines for blood sugar you must avoid Turmeric.
- In some cases, Turmeric also reduces the blood pressure level in the body. If you suffer from already low blood pressure you should not take Turmeric.
- A pregnant lady should not take Turmeric as it can lead to premature delivery.
- If a person is suffering from gall bladder deseases, he/she must not take Turmeric it will worsen the conditions.
Additional facts:-
The leaves of Turmeric plant are alternately arranged in two rows. Highly branched, yellowish orange leaves rise from the plant. The height of it ranges upto 1 metre. The Turmeric plant is a perennial, herbaceous, rhizomatous plant mostly found and grown in Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It requires a stable temperature of 20° to 30° with a suitable amount of rainfall.
Turmeric powder tastes bitter, black pepper like flavor and warm earthy mustard like aroma. In pure Ayurveda, Turmeric is named haridari. It has been in use for centuries in India.
Turmeric contains 60-70% carbohydrates, 6-13% water, 6-8% protein,5-10% fats, 3-7% dietary minerals, 3-7% essential oils, 2-7% dietary fibre and 1-6% curcuminoids.
In India, there are 40-45 species of curcuma including Turmeric. After India, Thailand has a remarkable 30-40 species and then some of the Asian countries.
Conclusion:-
A number of doctors or Ayurveda researchers recommend to atleast try Ayurvedic herbs and medicines. They have absolute benefits and reacts quick in our body. We also recommend our readers to start consuming Ayurveda and observe the difference on their health.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
What are the health benefits of Turmeric?
Turmeric is well known to treat many harmful diseases like Arthritis, Lever diseases, Cancer, Brain diseases, etc. The chemicals present in Turmeric are Anti-oxidant and also reduces inflammation of any part of the body. It refreshes skin and Detoxifies the blood and lever too. It contains Curcumin which helps in boosting your immunity.
Is it safe to take Turmeric every day?
In most of the households, Turmeric is used as a spice and consumed daily but indirectly. Taking Turmeric with other vegetables has not been found harmful. Though, you should not consume it daily directly. If you consume Turmeric daily then the risk of some diseases like Gastritis, Bloating in the stomach, High diabetic level, etc. Pregnant women must not use Turmeric directly.
What can Turmeric cure?
All the Ayurvedic herb has their own special benefits, Turmeric has too. Turmeric has the power to cure diseases like Arthritis, Lever diseases, Cancer, Brain diseases, blood pressure, Bowel syndrome, cough, cold, fever and jaundice. With a less research, it has been found that Turmeric also cures skin diseases and boosts immunity of your body.
How much Turmeric should I take a day?
The dose of Turmeric varies from person to person. On an average if you are taking Turmeric directly and without any disease then 1 time in the morning is good. While if you are consuming Turmeric to cure a disease then consult a doctor before taking but more than 2 times a day is considered harmful.
