:: July/August 2003 Volume 2/Number 4

Turmeric:
The Ayurvedic Spice of the Yogi’s Life

By Prashanti de Jager

What Ayurvedic science has known for millennium, Western science is now starting to prove in laboratories and clinics around the word: Turmeric deserves to be in the daily life of every person and especially every Yogini and Yogi.

Most Ayurvedic doctors that I have met in India consider Turmeric to be the best all-around herb of the Ayurvedic and Yogic tradition. Suitable for all constitutions and for a myriad of indications, the warming pungency of this sattvic near panacea balances Vata and Kapha while its cool bitter principles and nourishing sweet tastes balance Pitta.

For at least 6000 years it has been used in India as a medicine, beauty aid, cooking spice, talisman amulet and a dye. Dioscorides spoke highly of it in 60 AD when he wrote the herbal that would be Europe’s main herb source for the next 1600 years. Marco Polo praised it in his journals of 1280 AD. It has been used in Chinese medicine for over 1000 years to purify the blood, move Chi and strengthen the reproductive system. Hawaiian Kahuna use it as a sacred healing herb and in Brazil it is used to treat poisonous Viper bites.

Common knowledge to every woman in India, one of the most beneficial aspects of Turmeric is to improve complexion. While supporting the healing of acne, wounds, skin cancer and more, Turmeric purifies and nourishes the blood and skin so that the glow of health is not marred by blemishes and impurities but amplified through radiant clarity.

Close to the core of Turmeric’s healing power is its ability to cleanse, build and move blood like no other herb, making it an especially valuable herb to support the skin, liver and the female reproductive system. Turmeric protects your liver from toxins, pathogens and excessive cholesterol and helps to detoxify and rejuvenate it.

As an anti-oxidant, Turmeric protects the lungs from pollution and toxins. It increases the oxygen transfer from the lungs to the blood and is a good choice for bronchitis and other pulmonary infections, especially when taken with fresh garlic.

When it comes to first-aid, what ‘Rescue Remedy’ is to flower essences and ‘Arnica’ is to Homeopathy, Turmeric is to herbalism. It serves in accidents ranging from cuts to concussions. For any trauma this rhizome accelerates healing and minimizes damage. Turmeric stops bleeding, heals tissue, is a strong anti-inflammatory and is a broad spectrum anti-microbial capable of stopping bacterial, fungal and viral infections.

Turmeric has a triple action against cancer: it helps to neutralizes those substances and conditions which can cause cancer; it has over ten powerful anti-oxidants that directly help a cell retain its integrity if threatened by carcinogens; and if a tumor does grow, it can often eradicate it. Even if one were using allopathic medicine to treat cancer, they can still use Turmeric to increase the effectiveness and decrease some of the side effects of cancer treatments. Ayurveda especially recommends Turmeric to treat and prevent cancers of the skin and the female reproductive system, namely breast and uterine cancer.

Hippocrates statement, “Let food be your medicine,” is essential to Yoga and Ayurveda, and like no other food, Turmeric exemplifies this principle. To most people in India, from housewives to Himalayan hermits, Turmeric, affectionately called the ‘kitchen queen,’ is the main spice of the kitchen. Being both a ubiquitous spice and a safe healer Turmeric adds a literal meaning to the phrase, ‘The Spice of Life’.

For many reasons, Turmeric is one of the best herbs/foods of Yoga. It is one of the most potent, purifying herbs in Ayurveda, cleansing the physical and the subtle, from muscles to marmas, from blood to the buddhi. It is one of the safest herbs. It increases flexibility. It reduces pain and inflammation which allows more opportunity to perfect asanas by increasing stability and ease, more sthira and sukha. It increases prana, the flow of prana and purifies prana. Yoga texts like the Shiva Samhita recommends ghee and milk before asana and pranayama practice, and many traditional yogis add Turmeric, with all her benefits, to that.

Great Healers, in one form or another, are sought out by all of us. Turmeric is such a talented healer, that though its presence is common, its power is never-the-less rare, making it one of the world’s great healers.

After studying Vedic Sciences in India for most of the 90s, Prashanti has helped to grow a large Ayurvedic organic / biodynamic sustainable herb project in India and the U.S. More at www.omorganics.com