East Indian medicine has valued turmeric for thousands of years for its health benefits and we in the West are just beginning to catch on to it.Here’s a brief list of what it can do:
1. Fight inflammationChronic inflammation plays a key role in almost every chronic disease–heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s and autoimmune diseases of all sorts. So, reducing or eliminating chronic inflammation is a big part of maintaining your health. The active component of turmeric, curcumin, is strongly anti-inflammatory.
2. Fight arthritis
The most common types of arthritis involve inflammation in the joints. In several studies of patients with arthritis, curcumin was found to be effective. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22407780
3. Provide antioxidants
Oxidation damages your cell walls, DNA and proteins. Oxidative stress occurs when there are more damaging free radicals than antioxidants. Increasing evidence shows that oxidative stress is associated with diabetes, obesity, cancer, ageing, inflammation, Alzheimer’s, high blood pressure and heart failure.” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24177571
The active component of turmeric, curcumin, is a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals and boost your body’s own super-antioxidants.
4. Delay aging and age-related chronic diseases
Since oxidative stress and inflammation promote aging, curcumin has been studied for its ability to reduce the diseases of aging. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23325575
5. Improve brain function and lower the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
Curcumin increases the level of a brain stimulating hormone, known to decrease with aging. Also, reduced levels of this brain stimulating hormone have been linked to depression and Alzheimer’s disease. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0166432812006997
In one study, curcumin increased the body’s ability to combat the physical damage in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16988474
6. Reduce heart disease
Heart disease is the number one cause of death in developed countries. This includes diseases of the heart muscle, the coronary arteries and the arteries in the rest of the body. Curcumin has been shown to be as effective as aerobic exercise in maintaining the function of the arteries including regulating blood pressure and blood clotting. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23146777
In another study, patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery were split into two groups. One given a placebo and the other given 4 grams of curcumin per day. The placebo group had three times the heart attack rate in the hospital! http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22481014
7. Help the body prevent and fight cancer
Several studies have shown that curcumin has reduced cancer growth. http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/59/3/597.short
8. Depression
A study published in 2014, provided clinical evidence that curcumin may be used as an effective and safe treatment in patients with major depression without causing suicidal thoughts. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23832433

Unfortunately, turmeric (curcumin) is not easily absorbed, but Protandim contains curcumin in a particular combination with 4 other herbs which increases curcumin’s effectiveness many times as shown in a study at the University of Colorado. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19056485

Protandim