Turmeric, anti-inflammatory and effective against superbugs

Turmeric is known to have many therapeutic properties, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective and anti-carcinogenic. Two new studies highlight how tumeric is increasingly found to be beneficial to our health in many more ways.

The first, a review from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, found that consuming moderate amounts of curcumin (the active ingredient in turmeric) facilitated muscle recovery, helped in the relief of muscle inflammation and alleviated pain following strenuous exercise. The review concluded that turmeric reduced local inflammation and oxidative damage whilst also improving pain perception.

The second study, from Texas A & M, published in the journal Scientific Reports, found that when curcumin was given to bacteria as food and then activated by light it triggered reactions within the microbes that eventually killed them. The process also reduced the number of antibiotic-resistant strains (superbugs) and rendered conventional antibiotics effective against them.