There is yet another feather in turmeric’s heavily decorated healing potential cap. Along with Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, Crohn’s disease, depression, heart disease and mesothelioma, brand new, not yet published research reports that curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, helps relieve symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
In a study done in the Psychology Department of Hunter College, researchers reported that curcumin weakened the creation of fear memories after a traumatic event. In a press release Glen Schafe, a professor of psychology and the lead researcher of the study said that when rats were fed a curcumin-enriched diet they were less traumatized by memories of fear.
In addition, according to Dr. Schafe, curcumin not only inhibited fear memories that were newly acquired, but also memories of fear that had been reactivated. He said, “We also showed that rats with a pre-existing fear memory can lose that memory when it is recalled while they are eating a curcumin-enriched diet.” The researchers concluded that while this study was by no means definitive, it had, “important clinical implications for the treatment of disorders such as PTSD that are characterized by unusually strong and persistently reactivated fear memories.”
Turmeric: The Sacred Golden Goddess
Turmeric has long been revered in traditional Indian medicine and culture. Dr. David Frawely, founder and director of the American online casino Institute for Vedic Studies in Santa Fe, New Mexico says, “If I had only one single herb to depend upon for all possible health and dietary needs, I would without much hesitation choose the Indian spice Turmeric. There is little it cannot do in the realm of healing and much that no other herb is able to accomplish.”
It may be an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cholesterol, anticancer and anti- fill in the blank any other disease in the research world, but for most Indians and people of many other Asian cultures it is the most beloved spice in their kitchen. It is also the most important, the most holy, the most gorgeous and the most healing one in their kitchen cabinets. A symbol of purity, fertility and prosperity, turmeric is a part of prayer and wedding rituals. In fact the Sanskrit names for the Goddess and for the spice are the same! Such is the communion and fellowship between nature’s most beautiful spice and the divine feminine that the names Kanchani and Gauri in Sanskrit are names for both, turmeric and goddess Parvati.
So inextricably is the spice tied with Indian food and culture, that we use clinical amounts of it in our everyday life. We buy it by the pound, we use it for prayer, we use it instead of Neosporin to heal cuts and burns (Band-aids in India come built-in with turmeric), we use it as a beautifying agent and we use it liberally in our cooking.
A lasting (at least until now) consequence of a traumatic event, PTSD is often characterized by reliving thoughts and memories of the event that caused the trauma. That turmeric (curcumin) is responsible for selective blocking, erasing or reframing memories of PTSD that no longer serve, is a matter for marveling. The ancients who declared the spice holy, did not have access to research labs or funds to conduct elaborate studies, but they intuitively knew that the spice had such astonishing abilities to heal that it was a blessing, that it was divine. They knew that the spice aligned us with a higher consciousness and allowed our innate and intense healing potential to surface when we cooked with it. These days, labs all over the world are busy proving that our ancients were right. Now that makes for some divine news, doesn’t it?
Sources:
- Neuropsychopharmacology; A Diet Enriched With Curcumin ImpairsNewly Acquired and Reactivated Fear Memories
- Medical Daily; Curcumin, Compound In Turmeric, Found To Impair Fear Memories And Ease PTSD Symptoms
- Ratna Rajaiah; How the Banana Goes to Heaven
- The Healthier Life; Revisiting the Benefits of Turmeric
