A pinch of this spice can go a long way

Originating from the curcuma longa plant from Southeast Asia, turmeric has been used in India for centuries.The plant is native to southeast Asia, and its rhizome (underground root) is what we know as turmeric, used in cooking and traditional medicine.

Readily available across the world, turmeric has become a relatively recent wellness trend, being touted as a ‘superfood’ due to some of its properties. It has a long history of being a key ingredient in Ayurvedic medicine, being used to balance the three doshas – vata, pitta and kapha.

Turmeric’s popularity, both in traditional medicine and in the more modern wellness industry, stems from the fact that it contains the active compound curcumin.

Curcumin

The purported health benefits of turmeric are all down to curcumin. It’s what gives turmeric its vibrant yellow colour, and it has antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. Antioxidants are incredibly important, as they protect our cells from the damage caused by free radicals – unstable molecules that are made during normal cell metabolism. Free radicals can build up in cells and play a part in cancer, heart disease and stroke, amongst other things.