A teaspoon of turmeric a day keeps inflammation, toxins, pain, and cancers at bay.

In India, turmeric has been used and crowned the “Queen of all Spices” for over 2500 years. Although it was first used as a dye, over the centuries its true healing powers slowly came to light.

Long known for its anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and detoxing properties, recent studies reveal how this natural wonder can treat diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer, too.

Here are 7 proven ways on how turmeric can improve your health and happiness. I’m sure that after reading this article you will start adding this miracle spice to your diet every day.

1. Fights inflammation naturally

Chronic inflammation is believed to be the culprit of many of our modern diseases. Curcumin, or turmeric’s active compound, is found to be a potent anti-inflammatory compound which matches or even exceeds the effectiveness of many anti-inflammatory drugs available. (1)

2. Protects your brain

Cognitive disorders such as dementia and Alzheimer’s are often linked to decreased levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which is a type of growth hormone. Researchers have found that curcumin positively influences the levels of BDNF and may delay or even reverse many brain diseases or age-related decline of our brain functions. (2)

3. Reduces the risk of several types of cancer

Turmeric may be one of the most potent natural anti-cancer substances out there. Not only can it prevent cancer growth, but inhibits the development and spread as well and may even hold the natural cure for this dreadful disease. (3)

For more info, also read: Turmeric and Cancer: How a Cooking Spice Can Cure a Dreaded Disease

4. Improves digestion

Eating turmeric on a daily basis stimulates the gallbladder, reduces bloating and gas, and prevents inflammation of the digestive tract. However, when suffering from a gallbladder disease, turmeric should not be taken on a daily basis to avoid overstimulation, which can make things worse. (4)

5. Protect your heart

Curcumin has shown to reduce LDL (or bad) cholesterol, prevent blood clotting, and remove plaque build-ups in the arteries. (5)

6. Soothes symptoms of Arthritis

Although more research is needed in this field, many people report various improvements of their condition. It helps them fight chronic inflammation and reduces the pain too. Some even claim curcumin supplements work better than many OTC or prescribed drugs available on the market today. And without any side-effects. (6)

7. Delays aging and improves longevity

Free radicals and inflammation are believed to play a major role in aging and curcumin affects both. And given that it also protects our heart and fights cancer, which are 2 of the biggest killers in today’s world, it obviously benefits longevity too. (7)

These benefits are only the tip of the iceberg of what turmeric can do for you.

To improve overall health and happiness, add 1 teaspoon of turmeric to smoothies, juices, soups, curries, stir-fries, homemade cultured sodas, and dressings on a daily basis.

FYI: curcumin, or turmeric’s most active and healing compound, is poorly absorbed by our body. Luckily there are a few ways to up the absorption by up to 2000 percent. Adding a pinch of black pepper is one of them. Click here to discover 3 more ways to up curcumin’s absorption to make sure you get the full benefits of adding turmeric to your daily diet.

Sources include:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19594223 http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0031211 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18462866 https://umm.edu/health/medical/altmed/herb/turmeric http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19233493 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22407780 http://www.immunityageing.com/content/7/1/1