Turmeric - what is it? Curcuma: medicinal properties and contraindications. What is the use of turmeric? "Golden milk" from turmeric

Turmeric - what is it? It is a spicy-aromatic, as well as a medicinal plant. He is referred to the ginger family. The plant has more than fifty species, of which only three are grown on an industrial scale with the aim of producing spices and medicines.

Historical facts

When the famous Italian traveler Marco Polo discovered an amazing plant in South China, he was extremely intrigued. Turmeric - what is it? The fact is that this is a plant that possesses the color and smell of real saffron.

Turmeric is revered by the Hindus. This people associates the plant with fertility. Without turmeric, there is not a single Indian wedding ceremony. Traditionally, the groom binds a thread, previously greased with paste from this plant, around the neck of the bride. Use turmeric in Malaysia. In this country, pasta from it is driven away by evil spirits from the woman in labor, lubricating the abdomen. The means are also used for the treatment of the umbilical cord after childbirth.

In Europe spice became known in the middle of the fourteenth century. From India it was imported by Arab merchants. Due to the properties of turmeric, similar to saffron, she was given a second name - Indian saffron. The spice, which has a pleasant aroma and burning taste, appealed to the inhabitants of the European continent because of its ability to impart a yellow color and warm aroma to various dishes.

Turmeric - what is it in Latin? It is believed that the name of the plant comes from the words terra merita. In translation into Russian this means "the dignity of the earth".

Biological features of the plant

Turmeric grows in the areas located up to a half thousand meters above sea level. For a normal existence, she needs a temperature of twenty to thirty degrees. He likes plant and high humidity. In the places of its landing, the average annual rainfall should be more than 1,500 millimeters. If moisture is not enough, irrigation systems are used to ensure normal growth of turmeric. Soils for growing crops can be any. However, the plant gives particular preference to silty, as well as well drained sandy loam.

Procurement of raw materials

The used part of the plant is its rhizome. Dig it out seven or nine months after planting. Then the raw material is further processed. Rhizomes boil in water or a 1% solution of calcium bicarbonate for forty-five to sixty minutes. It is important to do this procedure on time - after harvesting rhizomes should not take more than two or three days. Became a soft raw material dried under the influence of sunlight.

Further, the appearance of the rhizomes is improved by polishing. In order for the surface to acquire a bright yellow color, resort to a little trick: ten minutes before the end of the polishing process, corn flour is added to the drum.

Composition

What is the use of turmeric? The plant has a beneficial effect on the human organism due to its rich composition, which includes:

- useful macroelements (potassium and iodine, phosphorus and magnesium, sodium and potassium);
- microelements necessary for the body (manganese and selenium, iron and zinc, and copper);
- valuable vitamins belonging to group B (thiamine, pyridoxine, folic acid, thiamine), as well as E, K, C, PP and choline.

In addition, the following substances are found in turmeric:

- starch;
- Curcumin;
- essential oils;
- Sabinen;
- o-flalandrane;
- tsingiberen;
- In-curcumin.

Healing properties

What is the use of turmeric? This plant is included in the list of the most powerful natural medicines created by nature itself. It has been used in India for more than two and a half thousand years as an anti-inflammatory drug.

Turmeric - what is it for a person? This is truly a miracle of nature, which is useful in the treatment of many ailments.

Turmeric is a natural antiseptic, as well as an antibacterial agent. These properties of the plant are used in the treatment of burns and cuts. Turmeric is a spice that can protect against lung cancer, as well as from malignant breast tumors. Its combination with cauliflower can prevent the occurrence of prostate cancer. Crushed turmeric, included in the daily diet, slows the progression of such a disease as Alzheimer's. This effect of spice is due to its ability to remove amyloid plaques in the brain. Turmeric is a great natural liver detoxifier. A spice is useful for children. It reduces their risk of developing leukemia.

Turmeric is recommended for the prevention of melanoma and the destruction of its already formed cells. Spice prevents the spread of metastases in various forms of oncology. Apply healing roots and as a natural anti-inflammatory drug that does not have side effects.

Perspective is considered turmeric and to slow the development of multiple sclerosis. Healing spice is useful for controlling body weight, as it takes an active part in the metabolism of fats. It shows curcuma healing properties when getting rid of depression. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory effect, it is effective in eliminating arthritis, including rheumatoid arthritis. It is recommended turmeric and cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The inclusion of spices in the diet enhances the therapeutic effect of irradiation and reduces the negative impact of the medications used. It exhibits curative properties and skin diseases. Its reception is recommended to alleviate the condition of patients with psoriasis. It brings a spice of relief and with many other inflammatory diseases of the skin. In addition, turmeric helps to accelerate the healing of wounds.

Use of the root for medicinal purposes

How to take turmeric for those who with its help decided to get rid of the disease? Healing root is equally good in tablets or in powder form. In shops selling products for a healthy diet, turmeric is also sold in the form of capsules for two hundred and fifty-five hundred milligrams each. With regular use of the medicinal root, it can be used for cooking. A pinch of spice will give the dish a rich yellow color and a pleasant aroma.

Powder from turmeric is recommended as an external remedy for bruises, hemorrhoids, ulcers and wounds. In this case it is desirable to mix it with honey.

The healing root is possible in the form of a water infusion or a decoction of milk. But it is best to take it as a spice, added to food. In this case, a single dose is a volume of 0.5-1 gram.

In the case when turmeric is used to get rid of mycosis, a liquid gruel is made from its root. For this, the ground raw material is poured with ordinary water. After infusion of the mixture for two or three hours, it is lubricated by lesions.
For oral administration, a decoction of turmeric is useful. The daily dosage of the medicinal powder is 10 grams.

"Golden milk"

The root of turmeric is useful to take once a year with a course designed for forty days. To achieve a greater therapeutic effect, it is better to prepare the healthful seasoning with milk.

For medicinal drugs take fifty grams of spices. You can buy it at grocery stores. Add half a glass of water to the powder. The resulting gruel is put on the fire and cooked for five to seven minutes with continuous stirring. As a result, a brown paste is obtained from the original bright yellow mixture. The product after cooling should be placed in a glass jar and placed in a refrigerator. The received volume is enough for passage of a forty-day medical course.

"Golden milk" from turmeric is made using a paste prepared from the medicinal root. Prepare it just before bedtime. To do this, boil a glass of milk and add a teaspoon of pasta to it. Do not damage the drug and a quarter 1 tsp. Oil of almonds (it can be purchased at a pharmacy). Before eating "golden milk" in your mouth, you must put a teaspoon of honey. The paste remaining on the bottom of the glass is additionally stirred and also drunk.

Delicious "golden milk" from turmeric will provide you a pleasant and restful sleep. Drug reception will restore the capillary vascular network, clearing it of salts. Healing milk will help with arthritis. It will improve the complexion and rejuvenate the skin.

Milk and honey can be replaced with milk from oat flakes and stevia syrup. Instead of almond oil, unrefined sesame or olive oil can be used. Milk and can be replaced by water. It is not recommended to use turmeric in gallstones.

Extract of healing root

To get rid of various ailments, a therapeutic agent from turmeric can be purchased at the pharmacy network. It has a lot of useful properties for the body. The extract of turmeric can improve the work of the cholagogue organs. This curative means prevents the onset of cancer and improves digestion. The root extract of turmeric improves the functioning of the heart muscle and can eliminate joint pain. Use it and for various problems with the liver.

Turmeric oil

By distilling with steam dry powdered medicinal roots get a delightful product. It is an essential oil of fragrant turmeric. Distillation, as a rule, is carried out either in the country where the plant is cultivated, or in the place where it is exported. The oil of amazing spice has a yellow-orange color due to the presence of its natural dye, curcumin. The oil has a fresh spicy smell and a bitter taste. Use it in the cosmetic industry. Particularly in demand for the product in the manufacture of perfume, which has spicy oriental flavors. Apply a unique oil and in aromatherapy as an excellent antibacterial agent.

Turmeric in Cosmetology

Healing spice is considered female. And it's easy to explain. A large number of various cosmetics can be prepared from it. So, a mask of turmeric is recommended for the treatment of inflammatory foci on the skin. At the same time the healing root manifests its bactericidal qualities and allows to achieve the effect of easy lifting.

There are several recipes for masks from turmeric. To rejuvenate the skin, a mixture is prepared from equal amounts (1 tsp) of turmeric, milk and honey. The components should be mixed thoroughly. The mask is applied to clean skin, it should be removed after thirty minutes. After three procedures, which are desirable to be carried out in the evening hours, a noticeable result will be obtained - the complexion will equalize, and the inflammation will noticeably subside. Honey in the mask can be replaced with almond oil or aloe juice.

With problematic skin of the face, it is recommended to use the second recipe. To prepare an anti-inflammatory mask, you must mix in equal proportions black clay, softened in a small amount of water, and turmeric. The mask is applied to clean skin, and after fifteen minutes is removed. The number of procedures per week should not be more than four. The general course is eight masks.

A stunning body scrub can be prepared from turmeric. It will create an excellent effect, as it helps exfoliate the dead skin cells, while moisturizing and smoothing it. To prepare the preparation take half a cup of sugar, 1 tsp. Turmeric, add to the mixture of any essential oil (a few drops). The resulting scrub should massage the body during water procedures, avoiding damaged areas.

From turmeric, you can prepare a very effective remedy for getting rid of pimples. To do this, you need 1 tsp. Spices and water. The ingredients are mixed to paste, applied to the face before going to bed and not removed until the morning.

Application in Cooking

Grinded into the smallest powder, the rhizomes of turmeric have been used for a long time as a spice. Spice has a bitter, slightly burning taste and a delicate pleasant aroma.

At the same time, turmeric is used as a spice and as a food color. In this case, it is included in the composition of various mixtures. An example of this can serve as a curry spice. In Indian cuisine turmeric is present in almost all dishes - vegetable and meat. Add it to the potatoes and beans.

It is impossible without turmeric to imagine Central Asian cuisine. Cooks of Uzbekistan add fragrant spice to boiled lamb, to pilaf and rice porridge. In Tajikistan, turmeric serves as a dye for sweet drinks. The Azerbaijani culinary specialists invariably add aromatic spice when cooking pilaf. At the same seasoning put a tiny amount. For one serving it needs a little, literally at the tip of the knife.

India imports flavored spices to the countries of America and Europe. But most of all turmeric prefer to add to their dishes the British. It is in this country that the fragrant spice is a traditional ingredient of salads and sauces, omelettes and soups-mashed potatoes. Improves turmeric taste of chicken and meat dishes.

Often, spices are used in confectionery. There it serves as a dye for marinades and liqueurs. These same properties of turmeric are used in the production of mustard, oils and cheeses. In addition to the beautiful color, the spice gives freshness to the products.

Sometimes turmeric is confused with saffron. These seasonings are similar in color. However, saffron, which is dried stigmas of crocus flowers, has a more saturated color. In this case, it has a flavor that is not peculiar to turmeric.