8 Health Benefits of Turmeric Water Priya Nair, January 7, 2018January 7, 2018 Turmeric, one of the healthiest spices available in the world is used in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine to cure a wide range of illnesses. People consume this amazing spice in various forms – turmeric pills, turmeric supplements, turmeric tea, turmeric milk and turmeric water, to name a few. No matter how you consume turmeric, it is guaranteed to improve your health and protect you from various diseases. It’s a well-known fact that drinking warm water first thing in the morning has plenty of benefits, including boosting metabolism, flushing out the toxins and cleansing your body. But did you know that adding a pinch of turmeric to warm water will help accentuate the benefits even more? The effectiveness of turmeric in curing diseases isdue tothe presence of a bioactive phenolic compound known as curcumin in it. The compound has numerous medicinal properties including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial effects that protects your body from oxidative stress by free radicals, UV radiation, inflammation and various types of infections. It also helps reduce the risk of several serious medical conditions, including arthritis, diabetes, cancer, heart diseases and brain degeneration. In fact, research suggests that curcumin is also effective in treatingmany of these conditions. By making it a habit to drink warm turmeric water first thing in the morning, you can be sure that your body gets all the medicinal and health benefits of turmeric. Let’s see in detail what these benefits are: Turmeric Water Boosts Your Immune System You must’ve read how the curcumin in turmeric tea benefits the health of your immune system. Since turmeric is the main ingredient in turmeric water, drinking it daily is another way to strengthen your immune system and optimize its functioning. Curcumin, being an immunomodulatory agent boosts your immunity by modulating the stimulation of white blood cells. The lipopolysaccharides or endotoxins isolated from turmeric has the power to modulate and increase the functioning of the immune system. This helps lower the chances of catching common ailments such as cold, flu and other infections. Drinking turmeric water regularly during the winter and rainy season can help protect your body against the microbes that spread infectionsduring these months. Turmeric Water for a Healthy Digestive System If you have any kind of gastrointestinal problems, drinking turmeric water may help relieve them. According to studies, turmeric can stimulate the gall bladder to produce and release bile, which helps in breaking down the food into simpler forms and promoting easy digestion. Bile is also helpful in promoting the better absorption of fats and nutrients by the body. Turmeric is also known to provide relief from bloating and gas. People suffering from gastric ulcers will find turmeric water extremely useful, as the spice increases the production of mucus in the gastric wall, which in turn acts as a protective layer. Turmeric Water Promotes Heart Health One of the leading causes of death all over the world is heart diseases. Obesity, excessive use of tobacco and alcohol, stress, unhealthy diet and lifestyles, all play a major role in increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. When we say cardiovascular diseases, the term encompasses a wide range of medical conditions, including heart attacks, atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, arrhythmia and many more. There is one compound in nature that will help reduce almost all the risk factors of heart problems and that compound is curcumin. Want to know how curcumin protects your heart? Well, for starters,it does this by lowering cholesterol, reducing blood pressure, protecting the blood vessels, preventing the formation of clots and promoting weight loss. The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-platelet activity of curcumin protects the heart and offers many other benefits such as: Preventing cardiac hypertrophy, a condition that causes the thickening of the heart muscles, leading to reduction in the size of heart chambers. Preventing Cardiac arrhythmia, which is abnormal heart rhythm. Preventing congenital heart disease induced by the excessive consumption of alcohol. The anti-inflammatory action of the compound benefits the heart by preventing various heart problemslike myocarditis, atherosclerosis and cardiac fibrosis. The antioxidant effects of curcumin scavenge the free radicals and protect your heart from oxidative stress. Helps lower blood pressure. Lowers cholesterol levels in the blood. Haldi Water benefits on managing Diabetes Did you know that turmeric is the most extensively studied anti-diabetic remedy? Turmeric is found to show amazing healing properties, which is why it is used in treating diabetes. The curcumin in the spice has antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-diabetic properties, which help in controlling blood sugar levels, regulating insulin levels in the blood, reducing insulin resistance, preventing infections, promoting weight loss, all of which help in treating and preventing diabetes. Drinking turmeric water regularly is beneficial for treating diabetes in the following ways: Improving overall health and well-being. Strengthening the immune system. Ensuring the proper functioning of the pancreas and regulating the insulin levels in the body. Helping to lower high blood glucose levels and maintaining a proper balance between the glucose and insulin levels. The anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin in turmeric help reduce inflammation in diabetes. Curcumin has the power to regenerate pancreatic cells. The antioxidants in the spice prevent oxidative stress due to free radicals. The anti-diabetogenesis effect of curcumin helps prevent diabetes. Prevents diabetes related complications such as cardiovascular problems, kidney damage (nephropathy), nerve damage (neuropathy) and eye problems (retinopathy.) Speeds up wound healing. Turmeric Water for Improved Brain Health If you’re looking for a natural way to boost your brain functions, drinking turmeric water daily is the way to go. It’s a proven fact that the curcumin in turmeric, with its antioxidant effects and extraordinary cognitive health properties, is one of the most potent natural neuroprotective substances on the earth. Cognitive decline is usually associated with the accumulation of abnormal protein structures in the brain, which happens when the immune system fails to send out the macrophages that destroy the protein. Curcumin helps prevent the accumulation of these protein structures by making your brain send the protein engulfing macrophages to the brain. Here are some of the other brain protecting benefits of turmeric water: Encourages the regeneration and proliferation of neural stem cells. Helps increase memory and improves memory retention. Antioxidant effects protect against free radical damage. Helps alleviate depression, anxiety and stress. Helps prevent problems related to the nervous system such as bipolar disorder, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, seizures and epilepsy. Regular Intake of Turmeric Water Keeps You Young According to the latest theory of aging, cellular aging maybe caused by the shortening of telomeres, the end-cap segments of our DNA. Telomere shortening also increases the risk of several health conditions, including cancer, heart diseases, immune dysfunction and Alzheimer’s disease. Research indicates that the bioactive compound, curcumin in turmeric may play a key role in not only preventing the shortening of telomeres but also in promoting the lengthening of telomeres. In addition to preventing telomere shortening, here are the other ways in which turmeric keeps you looking young: The antioxidant property of turmeric neutralizes the harmful effects of free radicals and help delay the signs of ageing. The photoprotective effects of curcumin, protectsyour skin from the damages caused by the Ultraviolet rays of the sun. Turmeric inhibits the different molecules that are associated with inflammation, which in turn suppresses the pro-inflammatory state that causes ageing and age-related health problems. Turmeric Water for Urinary Tract Infection Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) occurs when the urinary tract, which includes the kidneys, urinary bladder, ureter and urethra, get infected by microbes such as bacteria, viruses or fungi. UTI is characterized by symptoms like burning sensation in the bladder or urethra while urinating, frequent urge to urinate, fever, abdominal pain and dark-colored, foul smelling urine. If not treated, the infection can spread to the kidneys and damage them. Drinking turmeric water is a great remedy for urinary tract infections due to the following reasons: Turmeric contains anti-bacterial components like curcumin and volatile oils -curlone and turmerone, which inhibit the growth of bacteria by destroying their cell membrane, causing death of the bacteria. The antimicrobial activity of these components is also capable of inhibiting the growth of other microorganisms such as virus and fungi. The anti-inflammatory property of the spice helps the body to suppress the UTI related inflammatory responses. Once you’ve had UTI, there’s always the possibility of recurrence of the infection. Drinking turmeric water daily is an effective way to prevent the infection from recurring. Drinking turmeric water for weight loss Curcumin in turmeric helps in reducing fat accumulation in body. Studies suggest that curcumin treatment in individuals lead to weight loss. Turmeric intake is natural way of taking benefits of curcumin. Daily consumption of turmeric and lemon water is excellent way of losing weight. How to Make Turmeric Water? Here’s a simple turmeric water recipe to start your day with immense energy and a cleansed body: Ingredients: Turmeric powder – ½ teaspoon, Filtered water – 1 cup, Black pepper powder – ¼ teaspoon, Honey to taste Directions: Take turmeric powder in a mug.Heat the water until it boils. Slowly add the warm water to the mug and stir well until the mixture is blended well.Incorporate the honey to add more taste and flavor. With countless health benefits and therapeutic properties, no wonder, turmeric is called the “Spice of life.” Now that you know how turmeric water can benefit your health, wouldn’t you like to include it in your regular diet? If this amazing drink is already a part of your diet, do let us know how it has improved your health! Alternative Medicine Beverages Spices