As if you needed more reasons to love turmeric….

This anti-inflammatory, cancer fighting, antioxidant packed, anti-bacterial and anti-viral superfood, turmeric has now been found to help relieve depression more effectively then conventional drugs.

The magic compound in turmeric that makes it so effective at treating a host of diseases is curcumin a natural phenol compound that has been proven to reduce inflammation and even block the development of tumors.

To conduct the study, researchers compared turmeric and prozac on 60 patients with major depressive disorder (MMD).

The participants were divided into three groups, one group received just Prozac (20mg), the other group received just turmeric (1000mg of curcumin) and the third group received both prozac and turmeric for a course of six weeks.

During the study, researchers found that those taking the combination improved 77.8%, those taking just Prozac improved 64.7% and those taking just turmeric improved 62.5%.

The difference when it comes to turmeric however is that it does not have any side effects unlike Prozac, making it more effective and safer when it comes to the treatment of depression.

One of the most concerning side effects of Prozac and other anti-depressants on the market is the side effect of suicidal thoughts and other psychotic disorders.

The fact that there was only a small percentage difference between the turmeric and the Prozac lead researchers to believe that turmeric was more optimum when treating depression due to not having any side effects.

“This study provides first clinical evidence that curcumin may be used as an effective and safe modality for treatment in patients with MDD without concurrent suicidal ideation or other psychotic disorders,” stated the study.

Despite fighting depression, turmeric is also been proven to reduce inflammation, help diabetes patients and cancer patients and it is also effective in weight loss and heart disease.

The beauty of turmeric too is that you can grow it at home for a very affordable price.

In order to achieve therapeutic benefits of turmeric, a good quality supplement is recommended however, if you are just looking to incorporate it into your daily diet here are a few suggestions:

1.) Sprinkle your fish, sautéed vegetables, lentils or rice with fresh ground turmeric

2.) Sprinkle some fresh ground turmeric onto your scrambled eggs along with some pepper (pepper has been said to help increase the absorption of curcumin)

3.) If you have a sore throat simply mix some turmeric powder, or steep turmeric root in a cup of hot water along with fresh ginger, honey and lemon. This will instantly soothe a sore throat and relieve coughing.

4.) Sprinkle some turmeric in your morning oatmeal along with some honey.

5.) For a sore throat take a small teaspoon of honey and a teaspoon of turmeric powder and swallow them together- allow the honey and turmeric to coat the back of your throat- instant relief!

6.) Add turmeric to your smoothie

7.) Make golden milk: this drink involves milk and turmeric to make a golden colored drink. Simply combine your favorite warm milk with turmeric paste (water and turmeric powder mixed together to form paste), honey, coconut oil and cinnamon. Blend it all up and you have a delicious and healthy drink.

For optimum turmeric absorption always heat your turmeric or add it to hot liquids or food, try to add pepper and a healthy fat such as coconut oil, nut oils or ghee.