Turmeric—A Powerful Decongestant and Anti-Cancer Drug
Turmeric, Curcuma longa is the bright yellow constituent of curry powder. Medicinally, it is both an
adaptogen and a bioprotectant. Practitioners of Ayurvedic medicine have used turmeric for millennia.
The active principles, known as "Curcuminoids,” possess anti-inflammatory properties comparable in
strength to steroidal and nonsteroidal drugs. Curcuminoids are distinguished further for their antiviral,
antibacterial, antifungal, antiparasitic, antimutagen, anticancer and detoxifying properties. Curcuminoids
prevent the formation of free radicals while scavenging and neutralizing those already formed.
Traditionally, turmeric has been used to treat jaundice and other liver problems, promote circulation,
dissolve blood clots, relieve the pain of arthritis and rheumatism, and cure diarrhea, sinus congestion, and
ear infections. Today, it is also used by AIDS patients as an alternative, organic, natural herbal medicinal
remedy to relieve throat and chest congestion. You can add generous amounts of turmeric to your cooked
foods every day. Added to vegetables, rice, beans, soups, etc., turmeric does not just taste delicious, but is
also deliciously healthy.
Turmeric can be applied externally (as a paste) to help heal hemorrhoids, wounds, cuts, and burns
(beware of its yellow-staining effect).
Curcumin, the main ingredient in turmeric, has now been shown to be a potential cancer preventive or
treatment, according to a report by Johns Hopkins University. A laboratory study published in the journal,
Clinical Cancer Research (Volume 12, page 5346), looked at the effects of curcumin on cell activity and
found it interferes with neurotensin, a gastrointestinal hormone suspected of setting off the cancer process
in colon cells. Apparently, University of Texas researchers treated some human colorectal cancer cells
with neurotensin, with and without curcumin. They confirmed that neurotensin started a chain reaction of
chemicals that can increase the growth of cancer and also the migration of cancer cells and that curcumin
blocked the process. The researchers concluded that curcumin may have the potential to both treat and
prevent colon cancer and other cancers.
Ginger Combats Motion Sickness And More
Conducted by Svensborg Hospital in Denmark, a seasickness trial and clinical study has shown that
ginger was as effective as, or superior to, over-the-counter drugs in dealing with motion sickness. It is
indeed a safer option than over-the-counter drugs, which cause drowsiness. In another clinical trial
conducted by the Department of Anesthesiology at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, researchers
were able to show that 1 gram of ginger powder was as effective, and much safer, at preventing
postoperative nausea and vomiting as the tranquilizer commonly used by hospitals.
Ginger is also effective in relieving the severity of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. Using ginger to
quell morning sickness does not raise the risk of birth defects, according to a new study co-authored by
Dr. Gideon Koren, director of the Motherisk Program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto,
Canada. The sickness-reducing effects seem more pronounced when the ginger is taken along with some
honey.
Ginger has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of inflammation and rheumatism. Indian
research showed that a highly purified and standardized ginger extract had a statistically significant effect
on reducing symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee.
Research confirms that ginger acts as an anti-thrombotic and anti-inflammatory agent in humans. It has
shown to have antibiotic properties in test tubes (kills salmonella and staph bacteria), and acts as an anti-