Someday, when the cure for cancer is finally discovered, it will likely come from a treatment that’s been used for thousands of years… not a brand-new creation out of Big Pharma’s laboratories.
Well, that day may be soon be here. And the ancient remedy that might deliver on that promise of a cure is could be sitting right in your kitchen spice rack!
It’s turmeric!
Here in eAlert, we’ve shared a lot of the exciting health benefits that have emerged about this spice and its active ingredient, curcumin (which is what gives turmeric its golden color).
But a new study out of the University of Illinois may have found the missing link to how this amazing compound can be used to fight cancer.
To enjoy the benefits of turmeric, you don’t have to wait for Big Pharma to figure out how to patent it and then charge you an arm and a leg for it. Because there are some kitchen hacks that will help to turn this flavorful spice into an extra-potent healer.
In fact, they’re very similar to what these researchers discovered!
The root of the issue
Turmeric is probably the most versatile spice there is! Not only does it add a gourmet flavor to all kinds of foods, but its health benefits could fill a book.
I recently told you about a study that discovered how turmeric can prevent and even reverse type 2 diabetes. This golden root was able to improve insulin sensitivity and has been found to be 400 times more potent than the diabetes drug metformin.
Of course, that’s not all this spice has going for it. Prior research has shown that turmeric is effective in preventing heart disease, arthritis, and Alzheimer’s — likely due to its remarkable anti-inflammatory powers.
Then, there’s cancer.
Last year, a breakthrough in treating deadly pancreatic cancer was discovered using curcumin, the compound extracted from turmeric root. In the lab, this miracle substance was able to stop pancreatic cancer cells from resisting the main chemo drug used to kill them.
But there’s always been a roadblock that’s kept curcumin from knocking cancer cells down for the count – it doesn’t easily dissolve.
One of the Illinois researchers explains it this way: When a drug is being delivered, it must be able to dissolve in water so that it can flow through the bloodstream and hit its target.
And because curcumin is fat-soluble and not water-soluble, its powerful potential was never fully realized. Once that riddle was solved, however, curcumin easily can reach “tumors and kill cancer cells.”
This discovery may eventually give doctors one of the most potent cancer-fighters on the planet!
This team devised some “clever chemistry,” combining curcumin with the precious metal platinum (which has long been used as a cancer treatment all on its own), allowing the spice compound to be dissolved so it can go to work killing cancer cells.
But that’s not all the team found.
It turns out that when curcumin is combined with platinum, the substances become even more remarkable than they were on their own. Administered together, they proved to be 100 times more effective when treating certain cancers — such as melanoma and breast cancer — than individually.
And while researchers work on completing everything they need to do in the lab, there are some things you can do in the kitchen to help activate turmeric’s healing compounds.
Tip #1: Keep it hot! Research has found that heating substantially increases the solubility of curcumin (just what those researchers were looking to do!). So, instead of adding a sprinkling of turmeric last, incorporate it into your cooking.
Tip #2: Don’t go fat-free. Turmeric is soluble in fat, not water, meaning that it’s better absorbed by your body when consumed with a healthy oil. Add it when you’re cooking salmon, roasting chicken, or making any dish with olive or coconut oil. Another easy way to take advantage of this is to add some turmeric any time you’re heating up an oil, such as to sauté some veggies or onions.
Tip #3: Pair the spice with pepper. Turmeric and pepper go together like Batman and Robin! Adding black pepper to your dish along with turmeric has been shown to increase its bioavailability significantly. And to make that combo even better, use fresh-ground peppercorns.
Turmeric has been used medicinally and as a spice since ancient times, and hopefully it will soon emerge as a top cancer-fighter in mainstream medicine.
But now that you know how to better harness its powers, there’s no reason not to start taking advantage of its many healing properties in your own kitchen right now!
“Solving its insolubility, researchers discover method to deliver curcumin to cancer cells” University of Illinois College of Engineering, August 6, 2018, ScienceDaily, sciencedaily.com