Does Turmeric Helps Arthritis?
Turmeric is a native plant to Southern Asia that usually harvested for its rhizomes. It is known as useful herbs for cooking and medication in several countries in Asia, such as China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India since long ago. Their rhizomes have a strong natural yellow color that commonly used as food coloring agents, as we can see in Indian curry and mustard. Nowadays, Turmeric is available in powder which you can directly dissolve into some food or drinks. However, the original recipe of this herb requires grating the rhizome into small parts or slightly roasted it in open fire to strengthen the smell.
Not only delicious and useful cooking ingredients, turmeric also have a lot of health benefit. Commonly, people seek this golden yellow herb for its curcumin (diferuloylmethane). Curcumin is one of effective and important antioxidant agents that can help preserve food as well as protect the body from free radical. It can boost the immune system, lessen sore muscle and joint ache, as well as a great natural antiseptic for surface wounds. In addition, curcumin is also a strong anti-inflammatory substance that can prevent and reduce inflammation in bodies’ tissue and organ that got damaged.
How turmeric helps arthritis?
The terms of arthritis refer to a condition where joint in the body undergo regular pain or have diseases. There are many types of arthritis with different cause and conditions, but overall it carries the same problems to the body; a stiffness of joints, aching muscle and stiffness, or worse losing the ability to use the limb. More than 50 million adults and 300,000 children suffer some type of arthritis, with women and elderly have greater risk and more severe symptom.
Normally, the aching and pain in the joints and muscles usually are caused by inflammation. Being an anti-inflammatory agent, regular consumption of best turmeric supplement can help lessen the damage from arthritis, but also fasten the regeneration process of the muscle tissues. The curcumin from turmeric also will protect chondrocytes, some types of bone cell, from erosion that can cause osteoarthritis. Furthermore, curcumin also has proven effective in preventing thickening of synovial fluid and avoid joint stiffness. Synovial fluid is the joint lubricant that allows our fluid movement in daily life.
Further research also mentions that turmeric can diminish the indestructible fibroblast, like synoviocytes in rheumatoid arthritis. This will hinder the progression of the disease and help the growth of new cells in the damaged part that is caused by inflammation. The curcumin in the turmeric is interestingly able to target those destructive cells and destroy them completely, while the natural human antibody failed to achieve.
Side effect of using turmeric
However, using turmeric as alternative herbs to help lessen the inflammatory in arthritis should be consulted with medical professional first as it has some side effects. Turmeric can slow blood clotting, therefore will be dangerous to consume by people with the bleeding disorder. It also can worsen gallbladder symptoms and trigger gallstone formation. Also, turmeric can stimulate uterus contraction when taking orally; therefore it is not suitable for pregnant woman.
