Super Spice

     As I was doing my annual inventory of spices a few days ago I noticed there was one that I rarely use.  It was turmeric.  It seems there are very few recipes that call for it, outside of the ones that are for Indian dishes.  Perhaps that's why the nickname for turmeric is Indian Saffron.  After all, it is what gives Indian curry its flavor and yellow color.  It's also used to provide mustard its characteristic hue, as well as being used as a coloring agent for butter and cheese. 

     Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a relative of ginger, a perennial plant that grows 5 to 6 feet tall in the tropical regions of southern Asia.  The plant produces a trumpet shaped dull yellow flower but it is the root, the rhizome, that is used to create the powder that we are familiar with when it is boiled and then dried. 

     But according to the University of Maryland Medical Center, turmeric has been used for over 4,000 years as a powerful and effective medicine to treat all manner of ailments and diseases.  It has been used for centuries by Ayurvedic and Chinese herbalists for everything from liver problems to skin diseases and wounds.  Now modern scientists are beginning to understand that it is also a powerful anti-oxidant that fights free radicals in the body and helps to reduce and prevent the damage they can cause.  It also lowers the levels of 2 enzymes in the body that cause inflammation and stops platelets from clumping together to form blood clots.

     The medicinal properties of turmeric are impressive as it is known to treat the following conditions:

Dyspepsia & indigestion                                          Rheumatoid Arthritis
Ulcerative colitis                                                      Cystic Fibrosis
Stomach ulcers                                                        Childhood leukemia
Osteoarthritis                                                           High cholesterol
Heart disease                                                           Alzheimer's disease
various cancers                                                        Uveitis (inflammation of the iris)
Bacterial & viral Infections

Wow!  Think I'll go and sprinkle some on my cereal this morning for breakfast and feel healthy!