What is Turmeric Powder? This is Not a Dumb Question Because Most People Can't Even Spell it Right

With all the talk in health circles about turmeric, I though you might be interested in my answer to the question 'What is turmeric powder?'

On one hand, what is turmeric powder is easy to answer. It is a plant, native to India from the family that gives us ginger. It thrives where the days are hot, say, around 25 degrees, and the rainfall heavy. Part of the plant is taken and boiled for half a day then dried in ovens. The brittle remains are then ground into the orange powder we are talking about.

But there is more to the question what is turmeric powder, because after all this work Indians traditionally have done two things -- used it in cooking to spice delicious curries and in dyeing, and used in medicine.

Let's look at the medicinal use of this remarkable plant.

Ancient Indian medical books recommend turmeric powder as an antiseptic for cuts and burns, as a source of fluoride to strengthen teeth, as an antibacterial agent, and to aid indigestion and a range of stomach problems.

But about 50 years ago Western researchers began asking the question what is turmeric powder because they established what the active ingredient is: it is curcumin. Curcumin was seen to be responsible for almost all the effects turmeric has.

Researchers are studying curcumin in increasing numbers. Manufacturers are including turmeric in supplements. In fact between 2004 and 2005, for example, it is estimated supplement sales went up by over 33 percent. And in the US the National Institutes of Health had no less than four clinical trials underway in the mid-2000s looking at the effect of curcumin on certain caner, myeloma and Alzheimer's disease.

So, what is turmeric powder? It is a remarkably useful herb that definitely ought to be in the supplement you take each day. But there are various strengths of turmeric powder, and to get the most benefits from turmeric (well, from curcumin, actually) you should insist that your supplement uses a form of turmeric that is 95 percent curcumin.

You may like to look on the Internet for supplements which include turmeric of this potency. And a good place to begin would be my own web site. A lot of people find the information there helpful.

Of course I don't know what your supplement is, but what I do know is that turmeric which is 95 percent curcumin is deliberately used by a small, reputable health supplement manufacturer in the New Zealand city where I live. And I also talk about that on my web site, in the course of answering that question, what is turmeric powder.

William Leonard is writing expertly on health and balanced health supplements from his web site http://www.supplement-balance.com. Click there now to get even more help on what is turmeric powder.