This isn’t one of the Spice Girls
Whether you devour the Indian dish Chicken Korma, made with the Korma Masala curry blend, or go to Hop Shing and get their delicious shrimp with curry, you may be extending the number of your days.
It seems the curry spice turmeric could help prevent and possibly even cure cancer, according to researchers at the University of Texas’ M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, in Houston. The study findings were published in the journal Blood.
Aso found in yellow mustard, turmeric contains an ingredient called curcumin, which Anderson Center researchers say may help suppress and destroy the blood cancer multiple myeloma. Previous research has shown curcumin may fight types of cancer besides multiple myeloma. Also, it has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which can heal wounds and possibly fight Alzheimer's disease and Multiple Sclerosis.
Curcumin is what gives mustard and turmeric their yellow color, and Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages (on the Internet) state turmeric is a very important spice in India, which produces nearly the whole world's crop and uses 80% of it. They state: “Turmeric usage dates back nearly 4,000 years to the Vedic culture in India, when turmeric was the principal spice and of religious significance. In India today, turmeric - part of all curry powders - is added to nearly every dish, meat or vegetable.
In the laboratory, the Anderson Center researchers added curcumin to human cells infected with multiple myeloma and concluded curcumin stopped those cells from replicating. The cells which remained died, state reports from the Reuters news agency.
Even though the study didn’t actually test curcumin in cancer patients, lead researcher Dr. Bharat B. Aggarwal, a professor in the Department of Molecular Oncology at the Anderson Center, has recommended that cancer patients eat food seasoned with turmeric.
Best of all, it’s reported that curcumin has no known side effects in human beings - even in large amounts.
Let’s see, how about curry added to those bland packages of frozen veggies, and how about a lamb dish, and ...