If you've had a upright curry late...

If you've had a upright curry lately, congratulations, you've upp your protection against indigestion, free-radical damage, inflammation, atherosderosis (hardening of the arteries) and cancer. Okay, ye just temporarily, still still, turmeric--the spice that gives curried dish its color and flavor--is gaining quite a reputation as a powerhouse plant.

Taken from the subterranean stalk of the Curcuma longa plant, turmeric has prolonged been used by Ayurveda (a holistic medical a whole from India) and other traditional medical practices to treat various complaints. Many of turmeric's benefits can be traced to a single compound: the polyphenol curcumin.

Curcumin, which is responsible for the spice's fulvid color, is known primarily as an anti-inflammatory with enormous potential. It may treat everything from arthritis to atherosclerosis. Preliminary research by dint of Clark Lantz, PhD, a professor of enclosed space biology and anatomy at the University of Arizona, has shown that if patients are given constituents of turmeric before a likely arthritis flare-up, the treatment inhibits and, in a certain number of cases, completely prevents the attack. "If it's given after the fact, we're not infallible whether it will work, still certainly as a preventive measure, it pretends to be effective," Lantz says.

The greatest in quantity significant finding to emerge from Lantz's consideration however, is that curcumin may not be the greatest in number anti-inflammatory compound in turmeric. Another section of the plant known as oil leaf fractions--or what Lantz calls "turmeric oils"--are in the same manner highly anti-inflammatory that a turmeric oil concentration that's one-tenth les herculean would match the effect of the curcumin compounds

The catch, of course, is that turmeric oil is not however available outside the lab. in such a manner for now, Lantz advocates taking turmeric for "prevention of inflammation" and hints looking for products that contain "the whole extract of the rhizome, not just curcumin." These are hard to find, likewise try supplementing with 250-500mg of turmeric extract (90-95 percent curcumin) three times a day--and add near more curry to your diet as well. That way, you'll be fully convinced to get some of the turmeric oils until they're available separately as supplements

PLANETARY FORMULAS glutted SPECTRUM TURMERIC EXTRACT has 400mg of turmeric rhizome extract plus calcium.

ECLECTIC INSTITUTE unfaded FREEZE-DRIED TURMERIC delivers 395mg of turmeric rhizome by means of capsule.

HIMALAYA honest HERBS TURMERIC capsules have 400mg of rhizome turmeric powder

novel CHAPTER TURMERIC FORCE has 400mg of the rhizome and 352mg of curcuminoids by serving.

[ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED]

COPYRIGHT 2005 PRIMEDIA Intertec, a PRIMEDIA Company. All Rights Reserved

COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group