Turmeric is a rhizome spice that has been used for centuries in India and other Asian countries.
It is bright yellow-orange in color and has a slightly metallic tang. “Indian saffron” is also the subject of many thousands of scientific studies.
The reason turmeric is so heavily studied is its broad range of applications as a health food and natural remedy.
It is equally or more effective than many pharmaceuticals in preventing and treating disease—without harmful side effects.
Its main phytochemical, curcumin, is believed to be its most active anti-inflammatory agent—the medicinal properties of this amazing plant, however, are too complex to reduce to one single effective component.
Its entire composition and the ways in which it interacts with other chemicals and processes in the body are what make this spice almost magical in its healing abilities.
Here are 10 pharmaceutical drugs you can replace with turmeric
Sounds too good to be true? Read on!
1. Antidepressants (fluoxetine)
A study published in 2014 separated a group of sixty people diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD) into three groups and gave one group curcumin (turmeric), one group fluoxetine, and one group a combination of the two.
“Interestingly, the mean change in HAM-D17 score [rating depression scale] at the end of six weeks was comparable in all three groups (P = 0.77). This study provides first clinical evidence that curcumin may be used as an effective and safe modality for treatment in patients with MDD without concurrent suicidal ideation or other psychotic disorders. [emphasis added]” (1).