I just got a turmeric tonic at Source Cafe in Santa Monica at 2732 Main Street, where the Omelette Parlor used to be. They also have a cafe in Hermosa Beach. If you live in the area, you should check it out! Yummy! It's a combination of turmeric, lemon, ginger, cayenne, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar and stevia. My client told me about the cafe so I stopped in today. Anything you can do to strengthen your immune system. You've got to be pro-active when it comes to your health! I have been adding turmeric to my tea at night before I go to bed. It makes it a little spicy like ginger, since it's a relative of ginger it makes sense and it has high anti-inflammatory properties. Since it seems like everythings cause inflammation, it's good to know you can combat it with this. You are in charge of your defense! Isn't it nice to know you are in charge and nobody else? No excuses!
Below are some of the benefits:
According to Dr. Andrew Weil: one of the most comprehensive summaries of turmeric studies to date was published by the respected ethnobotanist James A. Duke, Phd., in the October, 2007 issue of Alternative & Complementary Therapies, and summarized in the July, 2008, issue of the American Botanical Councilpublication HerbClip. Reviewing some 700 studies, Duke concluded that turmeric appears to outperform many pharmaceuticals in its effects against several chronic, debilitating diseases, and does so with virtually no adverse side effects. Here are some of the diseases that turmeric has been found to help prevent or alleviate:
Alzheimer's disease: Duke found more than 50 studies on turmeric's effects in addressing Alzheimer's disease. The reports indicate that extracts of turmeric contain a number of natural agents that block the formation of beta-amyloid, the substance responsible for the plaques that slowly obstruct cerebral function in Alzheimer's disease.
Arthritis: Turmeric contains more than two dozen anti-inflammatory compounds, including sixdifferent COX-2-inhibitors (the COX-2 enzyme promotes pain, swelling and inflammation; inhibitors selectively block that enzyme). By itself, writes Duke, curcumin - the component in turmeric most often cited for its healthful effects - is a multifaceted anti-inflammatory agent, and studies of the efficacy of curcumin have demonstrated positive changes in arthritic symptoms.
Cancer: Duke found more than 200 citations for turmeric and cancer and more than 700 for curcumin and cancer. He noted that in the handbook Phytochemicals: Mechanisms of Action, curcumin and/or turmeric were effective in animal models in prevention and/or treatment of colon cancer, mammary cancer, prostate cancer, murine hepatocarcinogenesis (liver cancer in rats), esophageal cancer, and oral cancer. Duke said that the effectiveness of the herb against these cancers compared favorably with that reported for pharmaceuticals.
According to wikipedia:
Turmeric is considered highly auspicious and holy in India and has been used extensively in various Hindu ceremonies for centuries. Even today, it is used in every part of India during wedding ceremonies and religious ceremonies.
Turmeric has played an important role in Hindu spiritualism. The robes of the Hindu monks were traditionally colored with a yellow dye made of turmeric. Because of its yellow-orange coloring, turmeric was associated with the sun or the Thirumal in the mythology of ancient Tamil religion. Yellow is the color of the solar plexus chakra, which in traditional Tamil Siddha medicine is the energy center relating to the metabolic and digestive systems. Orange is the color of the sacral chakra, and tied to the reproductive system.
Since I am drawn to the sun lately, it just makes it even better! Here's to taking charge of your health one moment at a time!
April :)
