Turmeric is celebrated for its health benefits. It is believed that turmeric helps in fighting cancer, improves digestion, detoxes liver, reduces cholesterol, helps to prevent Alzheimer's, aids in healing wounds and injuries, relieves arthritis, controls diabetes, boosts immune system and helps in maintaining ideal weight. These properties of turmeric have been used in the traditional systems of medicine since time immemorial. Turmeric contains health benefiting essential fatty acids, healthy levels of vitamin B6, riboflavin, vitamin C, and food amounts of minerals such as calcium, iron, potassium, manganese, copper, zinc, and magnesium.
Turmeric is explained extensively in ancient Indian texts, especially in ‘Indian material medica’ (Dravyaguna Sastra). Believed to be originated in Indo- Malayan region, turmeric reached China by 700 AD, East Africa by 800 AD, West Africa by 1200 AD, and history reveals that the Arab traders carried turmeric with them to Europe in the 13th century. Marco Polo, the famous voyager, wrote about turmeric in 1280 AD “I have found a plant that has all the qualities of Saffron, but it is a root”.
In traditional systems of medicine of India and China, turmeric has been used as an anti-inflammatory, for the treatment of jaundice, menstrual difficulties, hematuria, hemorrhage, and colic since time immemorial. Herbalists consider turmeric as one of the greatest gifts of Mother Nature because of its curative properties. Many of the historic uses of turmeric have been scientifically validated with application in modern times. Numerous studies have been carried out with the powder and crude extracts of turmeric for their various biological activities to date. These include anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, antirheumatic, cardioprotective, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, etc.
1. Anti-inflammatory Properties: Curcumin, the active and most potent component of turmeric, is able to decrease inflammation by interacting with many inflammatory processes. Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties may be attributed to its ability to inhibit both biosynthesis of inflammatory prostaglandins from arachidonic acid and neutrophil function during inflammatory states.
2. Antioxidant Properties: Turmeric possesses antioxidant property due to β – diketone group in the structure of curcumin and this property has been implicated through its various pharmacological trials. Water and fat-soluble extracts of turmeric and its curcumin component exhibit strong antioxidant activity at par with vitamins C and E.
3. Anti-carcinogenic Properties: Curcumin has been found to possess anticancer activities via its effect on a variety of biological pathways involved in mutagenesis, oncogene expression, cell cycle regulation, apoptosis, tumorigenesis and metastasis. There have been numerous researches on anticancer properties of turmeric against various forms of cancers including colorectal, prostate, oral, blood and breast cancers. The anticarcinogenic properties of turmeric and curcumin are due to direct antioxidant and free-radical scavenging properties, as well as their ability to indirectly increase glutathione levels, thereby aiding in hepatic detoxification of mutagens and carcinogens and inhibiting nitrosamine formation. Curcumin also induces apoptosis of cancer cells and it inhibits angiogenesis. Clinical trial also revealed that application of both curcumin and turmeric extract during carcinogenesis and promotion resulted in less papilloma production, compared to controls.
4. Anti-diabetic Properties: Recent research has provided scientific basis for the traditional use of turmeric in prevention and treatment of diabetes and its associated disorders. The result indicates that turmeric may influence insulin secretion by pancreas. The active principles in the rhizome of turmeric plant viz; curcumin could favorably affect most of the leading aspects of diabetes, including insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperlipidemia, and islet apoptosis and necrosis.
5. Antirheumatic and Arthritic Properties: Curcumin as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compound possesses antirheumatic and antiarthritic properties. Turmeric is useful in relieving the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Clinical trial revealed that when curcuminoids were administered orally in various formulations found significant improvements in arthritic symptoms, such as stiffness, walking pain and joint inflammation.
6. Cardiovascular Protective Properties: Pharmacological trial on cardiovascular protective properties of turmeric revealed its efficacy on lowering the cholesterol and triglyceride levels, decreasing susceptibility of Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) to lipid peroxidation and inhibiting platelet aggregation.
7. Antibacterial Property: Clinical studies revealed that turmeric rhizomes have antibacterial effects. Inhibitory property is due to the curcuminoid and oil. Turmeric suppresses the growth of several bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumonia, Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli. It also acts against Helicobacter pylori.
8. Anti-fungal Property: In clinical trial, it was found that curcumin inhibited the conidia and mycelial-derived growth of 29 Dermatophytes (important group of fungi consisting of over 40 species in the genera of Microsporum, Epidermophyton, and Trichophyton) causing skin infections called tinea or dermatophytosis. Studies also revealed that curcumin has been shown to block the adhesion of Candida spp. to buccal epithelial cells and thus suppress the growth. It was found that curcumin alone or with fluconazole significantly reduced pulmonary damage and fungal burden of Cryptococcus gattii.
9. Neuroprotective Properties: Neurological disorders are the disorders of central and peripheral nervous system. It leads to epilepsy, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, and traumatic disorders of the nervous system. Several studies conducted on neuroprotective properties of turmeric and the ability of turmeric to prevent the development of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s are specifically due to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
10. Wound-healing Property: Tissue repair and wound healing are complex processes that involve inflammation, granulation, and remodelling of the tissue. Clinical trial exhibit that curcumin significantly accelerated healing of wounds. Biopsies of the wound showed re-epithelialization of the epidermis and increased migration of various cells including myofibroblasts, fibroblasts, and macrophages in the wound bed. Multiple areas within the dermis showed extensive neovascularization, and Masson’s trichrome staining showed greater collagen deposition in curcumin-treated wounds. Turmeric has a lot of potential when it comes to medicinal usages. It has been used in ayurvedic medicine with various biological applications. Curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, is a nontoxic, highly promising natural antioxidant compound having a wide spectrum of biological functions. Curcumin is now available in pure form, which shows a wide spectrum of biological activities, and it would be easier to develop new drugs from this compound after extensive studies on its mechanism of action and pharmacological effects.
(Content shared by S.S. Bora, T.N. Deka, B. A. Gudade and A. B. Rema Shree Indian Cardamom Research Institute, Spices Board, Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India)