Turmeric Benefits
What is Turmeric?
Turmeric is a plant whose roots are ground to obtain a yellow powder. This brilliant dye from turmeric has inspired many cultures through thousands of years to use it as a dye as well as a food additive.
Curcumin ( Diferuloylmethane ) is the active ingredient in turmeric and is considered one of the most studied Ayurvedic herbs today thanks to its powerful biological and neuroprotective properties.
What is Turmeric used for?
It works at the molecular level to increase the production of new neurons in the hippocampus which increases learning and memory. It also helps increase the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, causing an improvement in mood, cognition, libido, and concentration.
Turmeric serves as a powerful antioxidant and protects the brain from any type of inflammation. Inflammation in the brain is correlated with depression and dementia.
What foods have Turmeric?
Turmeric is already a food in itself, it is used in teas, powders, capsules, extracts and as a spice to be used for all dishes with rice, pasta, soups, salads, legumes, salads and boiled vegetables.
One of the most common foods that use this plant is curry, and it is exactly the turmeric that gives it its yellow color.
Scientific studies show that:
- It has been used for over 6,000 years as a medicine in China.
- Increases cognitive performance
- Prevents the death of neurons in the brain ( apoptosis )
- Increases its bioavailability by 2,000% when combined with Piperine
- Increases Nerve Growth Factor (BDNF)
- It has anti-depressant effects that help reduce depression.
- It is an effective and safe alternative for patients with major depressive disorder (MDD or MDD)
- Significantly increases the number of new cells in the hippocampus
- Supports cell regeneration of neurological diseases
How does the ingredient work in the brain?
It increases brain health in 2 ways: By increasing neuroplasticity through Nerve Growth Factor (BDNF) which is a hormone responsible for the creation of new neurons in the brain and increases dopamine and serotonin in the brain.
Turmeric increases hippocampal neurogenesis, increasing neuronal activity in the hippocampus as well as the creation and repair of neurons in the brain.
Why do we need it?
Modern life has caused a significant increase in people's stress and anxiety, this causes free radicals (oxidation) to damage the brain and manifest in various ways such as memory loss, mental blackouts, anxiety, depression and to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
Turmeric helps us protect ourselves from these possible damages to the brain through the elimination of free radicals, neuroprotection, prevention of cell death and support in the generation of new neurons, dendrites and DNA repair.
How does it help you?
With more than 5,300 scientific studies, it is now known that turmeric possesses antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, antihyperlipidemic, antitumor, anticancer, antiphlogistic, antidiabetic, antipsoriasis, antithrombotic, antihepatotoxic, and a host of other useful properties.
If you are looking for stress supplements or nootropics for brain health, turmeric is one of your best allies thanks to its use by Asian cultures for thousands of years and its vast scientific literature backing its proven effects against placebos.
A turmeric compound called Ar-Tumenone could be used in drug development to help patients suffering from neural impairment. The scientists discovered that this compound stimulated the growth of stem cells as it promotes the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells in the brain.
It feels?
If you are in a good state of health, both physical and mental, you will not feel the effects of supplementing with Turmeric, its neuroprotective qualities will not be felt in your brain if it is in perfect condition, but it will undoubtedly help prevent diseases in the long term. like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
People suffering from osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia are the ones who consume Turmeric the most thanks to the fact that this ingredient relieves chronic pain, thus helping to increase the quality of sleep and alertness.
What do scientific studies say?
A study of more than 1,000 people between the ages of 60 and 93 found that people who eat curry "often" or "very often" have significantly better cognitive performance than those who do not.
Ar-Tumerone is another bio-active compound in Turmeric and it was discovered that when scientists bathed this compound in stem cells, up to 80% of these cells became neurons. The scientists then injected this turmeric extract into the brains of rodents and confirmed an increase in the growth of stem cells in neurons.
Side effects
Turmeric is soluble in fats (instead of water) so it is recommended to eat it with some fat such as olive oil, walnuts or almonds to avoid any kind of possible stomach upset.
In the recommended dose, Turmeric does not pose any risk or cause side effects. Likewise, it is recommended to consult your trusted doctor and remember that this is not a medicine.
If you have gallstones or obstruction in the bile ducts, supplementing with Turmeric is not recommended. It is also important to mention that turmeric can lower blood sugar levels, which could be a problem for diabetics.
Likewise, turmeric can act as an anticoagulant and strengthen the effects of anticoagulant medications, so it is recommended to stop taking this supplement 2 weeks before any surgical intervention.
Turmeric is just one of the eleven ingredients that MIND contains . If you want to know more about the other components, we invite you to click on this link .
References
- https://www.routledge.com/Turmeric-The-genus-Curcuma/Ravindran-Babu-Sivaraman/p/book/9780849370342
- https://academic.oup.com/aje/article/164/9/898/87190
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2929771/
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2007.10.009
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18420184/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15987635/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18362141/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4180255/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18766332/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23832433/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9619120/
- https://sid-inico.usal.es/noticias/un-compuesto-de-la-curcuma-regenera-las-celulas-madre-del-cerebro/
- https://www.muyinteresante.com.mx/cuerpo-mente/curcuma-repara-dano-cerebral/