Does Cooking Really Destroy the Health Properties of Turmeric?

Turmeric is considered to be one of the most powerful herbs for fighting and potentially reversing disease. It is also a delicious spice to add depth of flavor and color to any meal. That is why turmeric is a staple ingredient for many Indian and Caribbean dishes and is used as a natural coloring agent for many other food products.

If you conduct an online search for the “health benefits of turmeric”, you will find that it is becoming very popular to use this spice in home remedies. In fact, on this website, I wrote about turmeric and how it may help treat conditions like inflammatory pain, cardiovascular problems, depression, and even as a facial mask. It is also used as a natural antibiotic and natural pain reliever. For all these reasons and many more, turmeric has been called the “Spice for Life”.

This article looks at how cooking and heat affect turmeric and if any of the healing properties of turmeric are lost during the cooking process. In addition to that, we will look at how science backs up many of the claims about the health benefits of turmeric.

Please read on to find out how cooking with turmeric can benefit your health and general well-being.

Turmeric and its Health Benefits

Turmeric is closely related to ginger and grows mainly in southern Asia. The stems, which grow underground, are harvested, and are used fresh or dried and then ground into a fine yellow powder. The main compound of turmeric is curcumin; however, it also contains smaller amounts of zingiberene, which is the main compound of ginger.

Many studies into the therapeutic effects of curcumin have found that it is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent with amazing health benefits. For example, the journal Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology found that enzymes in curcumin help to reduce inflammatory conditions and it also contains powerful antioxidant properties.¹ Another study said that curcumin has shown the potential to be used in the fight against diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, allergies, and other chronic illnesses. It also has antiviral, antibacterial, and anticancer activities.²

This means that turmeric is an important ingredient in many natural home remedies to cure various ailments. However, turmeric is poorly absorbed into the body and needs to be used in conjunction with other ingredients to increase absorption.

Turmeric and Black Pepper – The Health Connection