For thousands of years, Ayurveda, the natural healing system of India, has utilized turmeric’s medicinal properties. The use of turmeric has been assigned to a wide range of diseases and conditions, including skin, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal issues, as well as aches, pains, wounds, sprains, and liver disorders. These medicinal uses of turmeric have made it a popular choice in Ayurvedic medicine.

Turmeric’s medicinal use can be traced back nearly 4000 years to the Vedic culture in India, where it was not only used as a culinary spice but also had religious significance. The literature of Ayurveda has extensively documented turmeric, known in Sanskrit as Haridra, which means to spread a deep yellow dye or colour. Turmeric probably reached China by 700 AD, East Africa by 800 AD, West Africa by 1200 AD, and Jamaica in the Eighteenth century. According to Sanskrit medical treatises and Ayurvedic and Unani systems, turmeric has a long history of medicinal use in South Asia. For instance, Shusruta’s Ayurvedic Compendium, dating back to 250 BC, recommends an ointment containing turmeric to relieve the effects of poisoned food. There are also references to intake of turmeric powder and honey to enhance memory and with ghee to counteract snake venom. In heart diseases and jaundice, rice mixed with turmeric is taken internally and also applied all over the body.

Turmeric also plays a role in pregnancy and birthing in India.Turmeric taken in the last two weeks of pregnancy in warm, organic milk helps to expedite a simple birth, while increasing the health of the mother and child as well. Turmeric is also an analgesic (pain reliever) and is sometimes used in natural childbirth to decrease pain.

In the earliest writings of Ayurveda dating several centuries before the common era, the medicinal uses of turmeric have been elucidated in great detail. The Charak Samhita, Shusrut Samhita, Bhela Samhita and Kashyap Samhita make mention of turmeric as an essential dietary ingredient and medicine as well.

Turmeric is highly valued in Ayurveda not only for its preservation properties, but for its energetic and spiritual qualities as well. It is considered very sacred and is believed to have special protective properties.  People of ancient India believed that turmeric contained the energy of the Divine Mother, helped to grant prosperity, cleanse the chakras (energy centers in the body), and purify the channels of the subtle body. Even today, Hindu people consider turmeric to have auspicious qualities, and use it in many sacred ceremonies. It is commonly made into a paste and applied to the forehead (ajna chakra or third eye) during pujas (devotional ceremonies) and weddings. A traditional Hindu wedding in India is incomplete without a Haldi ceremony. The Haldi ceremony is a ritual holy bath also known as pithi ceremony, which is one of the pre-wedding ceremonies in India. Turmeric (haldi), oil and water are applied to both the bride and groom by married women on the morning of the wedding. The mixture is believed to bless the couple before the wedding. The auspiciousness of this ingredient and its color brings prosperity to the couple to start off their new life together. Traditionally, turmeric was also used to dye the marriage clothing. It was believed that any clothing dyed with turmeric was protection from fever. 

Balancing Doshas and Healing Ailments. Turmeric has been used for centuries in Ayurveda as medicine taken internally in the form of fresh juice, boiled tea, tinctures, or powder, and topically as creams, lotions, pastes, and ointments. In Ayurveda, turmeric is believed to balance the three doshas (vata, pitta, and kapha) and promote digestion while killing worms and serving as an effective antidote for food poisoning. Ayurvedic healers have utilized various ancient formulas utilizing turmeric for a wide range of ailments and conditions, including wounds, bruises, sprains, inflamed joints, skin conditions, and even scorpion stings. Moreover, turmeric is a potent liver tonic, improves blood circulation, and regulates menses, making it a mild and supportive uterine stimulant. With its numerous therapeutic benefits, it’s no wonder why turmeric is considered a “golden spice” in Ayurvedic medicine.

According to Ayurveda, plants that treat digestion are often the most important herbs of all since digestion is the basis of mental and physical health. Turmeric also has a special action to help the entire Gastro-Intestinal system by increasing intestinal flora and generate healthy digestion. It is traditionally used for weak stomachs, poor digestion, dyspepsia, parasites, abdominal cramps, to normalize metabolism, to help digest protein and breakdown of fats, to increase absorption, and the ability of the stomach to withstand digestive acids. Turmeric is also a carminative: it helps to decrease gas and distention. As a vulnerary it also helps to nurture and heal mucous membranes; it has a strong protective effect against food and materials that are corrosive to the stomach and intestines as from food poisoning

Another major use of turmeric is support of the respiratory system. As an anti-oxidant it protects the lungs from pollution and toxins. It also helps the oxygen transfer from the lungs to the blood. Turmeric with ghee is traditionally used to get rid of cough and to treat asthma. It also supports the heart in many ways. Studies show that turmeric may assist in lowering cholesterol and prevent Atherosclerosis (blockage of arteries that can cause heart attack and/or stroke). Turmeric may also prevent platelet buildup along the walls of injured blood vessels, another common cause of blood clots and artery blockage that can result in heart attacks and strokes

The most well-known medicinal use of turmeric is its use as a powerful anti-inflammatory, the effectiveness of which is comparable to pharmaceutical medicines. However, it also acts as an alterative, analgesic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-allergic, anti-oxidant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, carminative, cholagogue, digestive, diuretic, stimulant, and vulnerary. Modern science is beginning to recognize and understand the amazing healing qualities of turmeric and much research is currently being conducted.

Turmeric has numerous medicinal uses, and has been proven effective in treating a range of ailments including arthritis, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, inflammation, acne, urinary tract infections, kidney infections, liver disease, and more. Ayurveda recognizes turmeric’s ability to balance the three doshas, making it an important herb in traditional medicine. Turmeric is used internally in the form of fresh juice, boiled tea, tinctures, or powder, and topically as creams, lotions, pastes, and ointments. It helps to balance female reproductive and lactation systems and purify and improve the health of semen in men. Due to its versatility and vast array of medicinal purposes, turmeric is a valuable addition to any natural medicine cabinet.

Scientific Findings

Scientists are beginning to realize the importance of turmeric/curcumin in treating modern disease. Research has revealed that Curcumin is the most active ingredient in turmeric. It is customary in the Indian tradition of combine turmeric with black pepper in food preparations. Researchers have now found that a combination of curcumin and black pepper which contains piperine increased the absorption of curcumin by 2000%, without causing any side effects.

Much research has been conducted on the various effects of curcumin in the body; the most widely researched is that of its effects on Cancer. In both India and Pakistan , where turmeric is a dietary staple, boast much lower incidence of cancer than in other countries where turmeric is not regularly consumed. Turmeric is considered to fight Cancer in three ways: It neutralizes those substances and conditions which can cause cancer; It directly helps a cell retain its integrity if threatened by carcinogens (a substance showing significant evidence of causing cancer or growth of cancer cells).If a tumor does grow the curcumins can often destroy it. There are many reasons why turmeric helps to destroy Cancer. One of the keys to this activity is the ability of curcumin to inhibit the enzyme Topoisomerase, which is required for the replication of cancer cells. “Topoisomerase works within the nucleus of the cell, where it first binds to supercoiled DNA and then catalyzes the passage of one DNA helix through another via a transient double-stranded break. This splits the DNA and thus allows cell replication to occur. Stopping Topoisomerase stops replication which stops the spread of the problem.

Even when using more allopathic methods to treat cancer, turmeric/curcumin still helps to increase the effectiveness and decrease some of the side effects of cancer treatments. Current research suggests that including curcumin in the diet during the “initiation and or post initiation periods” of cancer significantly suppresses the development of chemically induced tumors. In summary, research is showing that curcumin may be more effective treatment for cancer in the beginning phases of the disease, as well as preventative treatment throughout life before cancer even emerges.

Conclusion:

For centuries Turmeric has been worshiped, reveled and revered by the Indians. It is highly valued for its spiritual and medical qualities. For time immemorial it is one of the most significant players in the prevention of serious disease as well as the general afflictions of living. Much more research is underway to prove scientifically what the ancient people of India have known for centuries that turmeric is one of the most powerful plants on the planet. Whether suffering from an acute or chronic disease, aches and pains, bumps and bruises, or as preventative maintenance, turmeric can and should be utilized by everyone on a regular basis. Whether it is a devotional ceremony, pregnancy, birth ceremony or a wedding, turmeric has made it place in every auspicious occasion.

In the words of David Frawley: “If I had only a single herb to depend upon for all possible health and dietary needs, I would without much hesitation choose the Indian spice turmeric. There is little that it cannot do in the realm of healing and much that no other herb is able to accomplish.  It is an herb that one should get to know and live with. Turmeric is indeed the spice of life. It carries the energy of life to our entire being and connects us to the beneficent forces of this conscious universe in which we live. It is also perhaps the most useful, and certainly the most commonly used Ayurvedic herb.”