Curcuma useful properties and contraindications

Curcuma( turmeric)( Curcuma longa L.) is a tropical shrub with a height of 0.60-1.0 m. Large, oval leaves grow directly from the rhizome. The leaves are large, oval, from light to dark green in color. As a spice, side, long roots are used. They are excavated, boiled together with special dyes, then dried, peeled, after which they acquire an orange color. They have a slightly burning, slightly bitter taste, reminiscent of ginger, but their flavor is more subtle and pleasant. Use turmeric usually in powder. The native land of this plant is East India and Vietnam. Even in ancient times, Arabs brought this spice from India to Europe. Currently turmeric is cultivated in China, India, Java, Haiti, the Philippines and Japan. Turmeric grows well and at high altitude - over two thousand meters.

Turmeric contains a very fragrant essential oil and dye curcumin, which is insoluble in water, curcumin dissolves in fats and alcohol. Turmeric contains α -ferlandandr, zingiberen( 25%), borneol, sabinene,

β -curcumin. It is a medicinal plant, a spice and a colorant. Turmeric has a favorable effect on the work of the stomach and gallbladder, increases the secretion of bile and digestive juices.

In addition to turmeric, a spicy plant uses turmeric turmeric, turmeric and turmeric round. But these plants have a weak aroma and less pleasant taste.

Ways of using

In folk medicine turmeric is used for diseases of the liver and gallbladder, kidneys, and also as a gastric remedy.

Turmeric is used in the food industry for oil painting, margarine, cheeses, various dishes and liqueurs.

The taste of turmeric is slightly spicy, pleasant, and in large quantity it is sharp, burning. Curcuma is a part of the national spicy mixes. As a spice is used to hard-boiled eggs, omelettes, when cooking light sauces, salads, ragout, enhances and improves the taste of chicken broth and chicken dishes. Add this spice to rice, pasta, noodles, but remember that you need to add it in small amounts( 1 / 8-1 / 4 teaspoons for 4 servings).Add the turmeric to the mustard, cucumber and various vegetables marinated with vinegar.

Chemical composition of

The root contains yellow pigment curcumin, essential oil, alkaloid, lactone and alcohol, calcium, iron, phosphorus, iodine, vitamins C, Bl, B2, B3.

Also in the root of turmeric are:

atherosclerosis in the liver of ironsexoriasis

Turmeric has several flavors: acute, bitter, astringent, - it has a sharp vipak. Has a warm, light and dry effect on the body. It suits people of all types of constitution. It removes toxins and toxins from the body, helps with poisoning with chemicals and insecticides.

Suppresses putrefactive microflora in the intestines, clears the intestines of excess mucus, normalizes the activity of the gastrointestinal tract, normalizes the pancreas. It improves metabolism, has healing and antibacterial effect. Used in the treatment of digestive and circulatory systems. It is a natural antibiotic. It helps to improve digestion, helps maintain normal intestinal flora, reduces the amount of gases, has toning properties. From diseases of the digestive system treats indigestion, stomach and duodenum ulcers.

Rhizomes are harvested in autumn and winter. After drying, tightly packed.

Use of turmeric essential oil

Turmeric turmeric oil is included in a variety of cosmetics, as well as perfume compositions to give them a specific spicy oriental flavor.

Very often this oil is used to care for oily and mature skin. A solution of turmeric essential oil usually does not irritate the skin and does not have a phototoxic effect, that is, after using external agents using this oil, you can safely go out into the sun.

This essential oil can be used for inhalations and aroma lamps. Inhalation of fragrant oil helps to recover quickly under stress and increased mental stress.

It is also used in a mixture of oils for massage and applying to the skin, for compresses and baths, for rinsing and in lotions, as well as for scenting the room and bedding. This oil is well combined with essential oils of ginger, rose, patchouli, geranium, rosemary, sage, cloves, as well as with citrus and coniferous oils.

Turmeric Essential Oil in diluted form is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use.

However, it can not be buried in the ears and nose, used for microclysters and tampons. Do not use this aromatic oil in paired.

Powder

Powder prepared from root-tubers of turmeric, saturated mustard yellow, which can have a golden, terracotta tint or resemble the color of the umber. If you add lemon juice to this spice, the turmeric will get a bright red color.

Added to the dishes, turmeric gives them a bright yellow color and a fresh persistent fragrance.

The taste of this spice combines wittiness, light stinging and tartness with delicate ginger notes, shades of musk and wood. Trying turmeric powder for taste, you will feel a slight bitterness in your mouth, in large quantities this spice can give dishes a noticeably burning taste.

The smell of turmeric is pleasant, spicy and blurred.

History of

The first to pay attention to the curative properties of turmeric( "haridra" in Sanskrit) were the healers of Ancient India - they used the funds from this spice to treat most of the diseases known at that time - from leprosy to the bites of poisonous insects and snakes. Especially useful was the use of turmeric in injuries and skin diseases, to get rid of colds and cough, normalization of the stomach, liver and kidneys. But the most important of its properties, the Indians considered the ability of this spice to "purify the body."Modern scientists have largely proved the therapeutic effects of turmeric, which the ancients guessed.

Useful properties

Turmeric long is both a spice and a dye. It is a part of various national mixtures. Serves as a seasoning for pilaf, especially appreciated in Azerbaijan and Central Asia. In England, it is added to all meat and egg dishes and sauces, to mustard and to all vegetables marinated with vinegar. Make it in very small quantities, as well as during cooking or 5 minutes before cooked.

Jatir-Veda, composed around the 5th century. BC.e., dedicated to astrology and medicine. One of the sections describes the treatment of diseases associated with the impact of planets on the human body. Curcuma was often used in many ceremonies, rituals. It was used as a talisman. Since then, turmeric has been used as a natural antibiotic. It also helps treat difficult to heal wounds. Turmeric affects the growth retardation of melanoma cells, breast and pancreatic cancer. In India, turmeric is used in many ritualistic rites of worship and during the Vedic rite of marriage. A woman who has smeared her body with turmeric before marriage is cleansed of previous sins, and a man takes a "clean" woman into his wife. Men and women are smeared with turmeric to improve the color and appearance of the skin and body.

In Russia it is called turmeric. Other names: Indian saffron, saryk;haridra, krimigna, kanchani, niche( Sanskrit);krimigna, Haldi( Hindi), turmeric( turmeric, English).

Sanskrit is one of the most ancient languages ​​known to scientists. Each word in it has many meanings, and when turmeric is called krimigna, it means that it "casts worms out of the body".Haridra means "improvement of color and external structure of the body," Kanchani means that "the skin looks cleaner and clearer", the niche in translation is "beautiful as a starry sky."

When poisoning

Chinese doctors since antiquity have known the analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of this plant, as well as the ability of turmeric to improve the course of metabolic processes in the body.

The guesses of doctors of antiquity have been confirmed by scientists of our day - now turmeric is considered a strong anti-ascertainant and detoxification agent: the substances contained in this plant are able to exert a pronounced anti-inflammatory and choleretic effect.

Natural antibiotic

Turmeric is considered a natural antibiotic - a strong antibacterial agent, the use of which does not have a destructive effect on the liver and does not worsen the work of the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover - the use of

of this plant normalizes digestion and activates the growth of useful intestinal microflora.

The antibacterial properties of curcumin are so strong that it is able to restrain the development of tuberculosis.

Against Cancer

The effect of curcumin on cancer cells is of great importance, since, by eliminating the body from them, this substance does not have harmful cytotoxic effects on healthy cells.

Treating the digestive tract

Internal ingestion of turmeric helps with cholelithiasis and ulcerative colitis. Traditional use of turmeric to normalize liver function has made it, according to Ayurveda, an excellent tool for the treatment of hepatitis( both infectious and toxic).

Weight loss

Turmeric is often included in funds not only designed to reduce weight, but also to combat obesity and prevent diabetes.

The ability of this plant to affect the level of harmful cholesterol in the blood( low density lipoproteins) makes it extremely useful not only to get rid of excess weight, but also to prevent the development of atherosclerosis.

Getting rid of excess weight of turmeric helps in the same way, improving digestion and controlling appetite( significantly reducing the craving for fatty and sweet).

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cranberries

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sheet blueberry

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sheet strawberry

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chicory

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pepper

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grapefruit

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sea salt

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lavender

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Heart Disease

In India, long been treated with drugs with the addition of turmeric and various heart diseases - the substances in it strengthen the heart muscle, help normalize blood pressure, beneficially tellingThey are in the state of blood vessels.

When studying the effect of curcumin on a living organism with myocardial hypertrophy( cardiac muscle), scientists found that this substance not only can stop the development of the pathological process, but also helps to restore the already affected cells. This allows us to talk about the possibility of widespread use of drugs from turmeric in cardiology.

Purification of blood

Turmeric significantly improves blood composition, which allows it to be used for the prevention and treatment of iron deficiency anemia. Also, this spice has a stimulating effect on the formation of erythrocytes, reduces platelet aggregation( gluing these blood cells together, leading to the formation of blood clots that clog the blood vessels).

Joint treatment

The anti-inflammatory properties of this spice make it possible to use it for various joint diseases. Since ancient times, the intake of turmeric has been recommended to children and people of advanced age - to strengthen bone tissue and prevent fractures of bones.

Nervous System Recovery

Curcumin is considered to be an antagonist of substances such as aminazine and baramyl, which have a depressing effect on the human nervous system.

According to the ideas of Indians, plants have the ability to influence a person not only on the physical, but also on the psychological level. So, the regular use of turmeric makes a person more detailed, helps to acquire a calm attitude to the problems facing him, to learn to soberly assess the situation and their strength.

Including this spice in your daily menu, you will soon notice that you are much less restless and irritable, and this is not surprising - because turmeric significantly increases stress resistance, helps get rid of fussiness and gain self-confidence.

Fighting parasites

Water infusion, prepared from the root of turmeric, is an effective tool that inhibits the development of pathogenic fungi that cause skin diseases. Turmeric has a beneficial effect on the skin in all diseases, not only caused by parasites.

Immunomodulating properties of turmeric, based on the increase in the number of leukocytes and antibody-forming cells( lymphocytes), make it possible to use this plant not only to maintain the human body during seasonal outbreaks of colds, but also to restore it after a serious illness and even in the complex therapy of various immunodeficiency conditions(for example, AIDS).

Recovery

Helps turmeric for headaches caused by migraines. Its ability to significantly increase the digestibility of the body protein makes this spice very useful for children in the period of active growth and for athletes.

This spice is also considered an excellent remedy for loss of appetite.

Turmeric contains substances that are strong antioxidants, neutralizing the free radicals( molecules that destroy healthy cells), stimulates the brain. With the help of turmeric in ancient India, cured colds and asthma, vascular diseases, stopped bleeding and improved the condition of anemic patients.

Curative properties of turmeric are appreciated by women - the powder from this plant has long been used to preserve the beauty and health of the skin.

Cleansing

In recent years, it has become increasingly common to hear that the cause of most of our diseases is the internal "contamination" of the body. Slag and toxins, accumulating in various organs and tissues, violate their normal functioning.

This is why the cleansing of the body has such a noticeable effect of improving the state of health before rejuvenating the body for 10-15 years.

Overload of the intestines with unprocessed and non-deriving waste for years leads to a significant increase in its size. The large intestine begins to "press" other internal organs, displacing them from ordinary places and disrupting the normal functioning of the diaphragm, heart, lungs, stomach, liver, and other parts of the intestine.

The putrefactive processes developing in the intestine cause self-poisoning of the body - the decay products penetrate into the blood and lymph, and together with them - into all organs and tissues.

Diseases of the teeth and oral cavity, respiratory and cardiovascular system, formation of kidney stones, liver and bladder, enlargement of lymph nodes, impaired brain nutrition, reduction of the body's defenses. .. the cause of all these problems is the accumulation of toxins in the bodyand toxins.

The insidiousness of this condition is that no treatment can help to cope with the ailments caused by the constant poisoning of the body - in the first place it needs a high-quality cleaning at all levels.

And then turmeric comes to the rescue. It not only perfectly copes with all cargo of slags and toxins, for years filled our body. Antioxidants contained in turmeric also help to rid the body of free radicals - the most unstable molecules that cause cancer.

Beneficially acting on digestion, turmeric improves the absorption of heavy food.

Together with gentian and barberry, turmeric is a part of the ancient Ayurvedic mixture for cleansing the body of toxins( Amy).In Ayurveda, turmeric, along with other mild spices, was used to maintain the normal state of Agni - the digestive fire and maintain the balance of the entire system of the gastrointestinal tract.

Use in cooking

Turmeric is not one of the rare and expensive spices - it can be bought in any store or on the market, however this modest spice can turn the most ordinary dish into a real masterpiece of culinary art. Without its delicate flavor and exquisite taste, the curry and the Indonesian spice sambal, so beloved by everyone, is inconceivable, this spice adorns a lot of ritual dishes of oriental cuisine.

Over the centuries, turmeric has spread far beyond its home countries with a subtropical climate and has won the hearts of people around the world. This spice is known and loved in Israel and Russia, and in Greece it is called "yellow ginger".

To prepare spices from several dozen varieties of turmeric, only a few( usually four) are used.

Experienced cooks say that for each dish, a spice made from a certain plant is ideal. So, in the confectionery business the "citvar root" is very popular. There are also preferences among representatives of different nations. For example, the British traditionally choose for their meals Madras turmeric, which has a softer taste and a delicate aroma.

Advantage of turmeric in front of a lot of spices is its excellent compatibility with almost all products. This allows you to use this spice when preparing dishes from meat, cereals, vegetables and fruits, as well as dishes from pastry and confectionery.

Unlike such spices as, for example, saffron, cloves, nutmeg, which should be added to the dishes very carefully, turmeric does not require such an exact dosage - it is very difficult to overdo it.

Turmeric is one of the components of various marinades and chutneys( special Indian seasonings), including exquisite piccallilli, as well as other dishes from rice and vegetables. In the countries of North America, turmeric is considered an excellent seasoning for vegetables and mutton. Impossible without turmeric plums of Azerbaijan and Central Asia, in Uzbekistan - a traditional soup of turnips and lamb, and in Tajikistan, this spice is added to sugary drinks.

In Bali, turmeric, together with rice, coconut milk and other flavoring seasonings, is part of the cult of nasi kuning, dedicated to the gods.

This spice is well combined with omelettes and hard-boiled eggs - in this form turmeric is often used in England. In many countries, salads, stews, light sauces and soups puree flavored with turmeric are popular.

A pinch of turmeric gives a pleasant golden tinge to the boiled rice and pasta, and by rubbing this spice on the skin of the chicken before roasting or baking, you can not only get rid of the characteristic odor of the bird, but also get an appetizing golden crust. Turmeric is well combined with the taste of any dishes from poultry, including broths.

Beautiful turmeric in combination with hot dishes from meat of any variety, as well as fish and seafood.

Adding turmeric to the dough, you can give it a pleasant yellowish color.

Turmeric is widely used for preserving products, for making sauces, pouches, marinades. This spice helps the products keep their freshness for a long time.

The E-100 dye is the Kurkuma!

If you drop dark fabrics in an aqueous solution of turmeric, they will "update" their color - they will become as bright as they were originally. But, of course, turmeric has long been used not only for dyeing fabrics, but also for giving a golden hue to a variety of dishes.

Dishes from rice, potatoes, and later - from pasta, stewed vegetables and meat dishes - all become more appetizing with the addition of this not only safe, but surprisingly healthy natural dye. Use turmeric and in the preparation of breadcrumbs for fish and chicken - at the sight of golden fried pieces of saliva flow even in those who can not usually boast of an excellent appetite.

Until now, turmeric does not know itself equal among natural dyes - it is included in the composition of mustard and liqueurs, used for tinting cheese, butter, yogurt and margarine.

So, having met the designation "E-100" on the product package, buy it boldly - after all, as a dye in this case, nothing more than turmeric is used.

Powder preparation

If you want to prepare a healing powder from the rhizome of the plant, then dig it out of the ground as soon as the plant leaves turn yellow - at the beginning of the rest period. Thoroughly clean the rhizome from the ground, wash it in running water, pour in boiling water and put it in a dry place for 5-7 days. The roots of the plant so treated become very hard, they glisten at the site of the cut and immediately go to the bottom when they are lowered into the water. Such rhizomes are suitable for grinding. However, it is possible to do this at home only with the help of household appliances.

Turmeric - Contraindications

Turmeric has a very strong effect on the body. Therefore, if you are taking any medications along with it, it is best to consult a doctor to avoid adverse effects. To the advice of doctors should be resorted to and people suffering from any chronic disease and consuming turmeric or any spices of strong action.

Turmeric is contraindicated if you have stones in the gallbladder or are clogged with bile ducts. Turmeric is an excellent cholagogue. And if you start using it during an exacerbation, you will probably get a negative result. Experienced and sensible doctor will never send you to a sanatorium immediately after exacerbation of your disease, must necessarily undergo an adaptation period, the inflammation should "withdraw."Signs of negative effects of turmeric may be: nausea and diarrhea.

Although in general during pregnancy turmeric is not contraindicated, one when it is used during pregnancy, it is worth consulting with a doctor. This is due to the fact that turmeric can increase the tone( activity) of the uterus. This is especially true in the first months of pregnancy.

When taking medications. Curcuma has one interesting property - to strengthen the actions of other substances. On the one hand, it has already been proven that when black pepper is added to turmeric, its digestibility and action is increased by 2000%, turmeric has a mirror effect on other herbs, plants and medicinal substances.

There is already an intensifying effect of turmeric on diabetic drugs that reduce blood sugar levels. This can lead to dizziness, fainting and coma.

Another strengthening effect of turmeric is - the dilution of blood. Therefore, it is also not compatible with anticoagulants, which are prescribed for example in case of varicose veins or infarction.

Well, since the entire spectrum of the enhancing effect has not been studied, it is better to abstain if:
is treated with other herbs not indicated as being combined with turmeric;
take strong medications.
Remember that everything is good in moderation. And if in small amounts of turmeric can bring you a lot of benefit, then with its overdose can have adverse consequences.