In case you didn’t know, Turmeric is one of the best natural remedy for a lot of diseases. It has anti-inflammatory proprieties, alongside with antioxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-viral and cancer-fighting ones. Furthermore, it has been shown that in treating depression is even more effective than any other conventional drugs out there. Today we are going to concentrate on the ability of turmeric to help combat depression.
Turmeric as a treatment for depression
The benefits for your health of this super root are extraordinary. It lowers the risk of heart disease, keeps your brain healthy and the research conducted has also shown that it helps lift depression, as already mentioned. Curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) has the same effects as a prescription medicine called fluoxetine (the generic form of Prozac). Additionally, Turmeric, contrary to prescription drugs for treating depression, has no adverse effects on your health, as the clinical trial on major depressive disorder (MDD) has revealed.
Dr. Ajay Goel, Baylor Research Institute and Charles A Sammons Cancer Center, Baylor University Medical Center and study co-author, said about the active ingredient in turmeric: “It is a novel and surprising application for this natural medicine. People with depression have higher levels of inflammation in the brain. Also, people with depression have lower levels of neurogenesis in the brain, meaning they make fewer new brain cells than people with no history of depression. Curcumin is both a potent anti-inflammatory agent and a powerful stimulator for neurogenesis.”
For reducing inflammation in your body, you can always add some turmeric to your recipes.
Turmeric Lemonade (for 4 servings)
Ingredients:
- 4 cups cold filtered or sparkling water
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated or powdered turmeric
- 4 tablespoons of 100% maple syrup, honey or Stevia if you are avoiding sugar
- Juice of 1 1/2 lemons or limes
- Juice of 1 blood orange (optional)
Instructions:
Mix all the ingredients into a small pitcher, stir and serve with a slice of lemon as a garnish.
I read an article that said not to take turmericif one has had estrogen based breast cancer… is there any fact to that
I’m not a doctor but there are studies that SUGGEST keyword: suggest, not prove, that turmeric helps reduce the risk of breast cancer.
How does turmeric effect you if you are on antidepressants? I have a chemical imbalance and need to stay on them. Would turmeric effect the dose?
It won’t affect your medications at all. It is primarily an anti inflammatory and a very mild one at that. Mostly it is a substance that will barely help but most likely not hurt you at all. The anti inflammatory properties are said to contribute to brain health due to the inflammation-related issues that occur in Alzheimer’s and dementia patients.
I’m not a doctor. Just someone who reads lots of studies on these types of things.
My understanding is you have to mix black pepper with turmeric for it to be absorbed in you body.
Partially true. Your liver tries to filter the curcumin turmeric, so the bioavailability of the substance becomes decreased. When you add pepper, your liver isn’t able to filter as much thus increasing the amount of curcumin in your blood.
First of all good your homework and research what is being written on turmeric don’t take anybody who writes on it word. Do the research where are the clinical trials and medical reports at for making the claims tumeric can help with depression? How much potency is needed to be effective on a daily basis what drugs or foods might counteract this. What prescribed meds cannot be combined with this spice. No this is not for someone taking lithium or depacote for bi polar. The only sub has been the lithium orotates which do not cause the body damage that current lithium causes. However that is hard to come by due to the potency needed on a daily basis and a professional naturopathic or homeopathic would know that. Don’t be fooled!!! Do your homework and research research