Scientists have made a remarkable discovery about something that can heal the brain. It’s ancient and golden and probably in your pantry.
It’s turmeric, a spice commonly found in curry and according to new research it can boost the brain’s ability to repair itself by 80%.
In the everyday world, away from the brilliant glare of science, turmeric has been called the ‘spice for life’ and has had a place in healing for thousands of years.
A major bioactive compound in turmeric is curcumin, and research has shown that it is amazing for brain health, working in ways that are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and anticancer. It has the potential to fight a number of malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and other chronic illnesses.
A remarkable study found that three patients with severe Alzheimer’s who consumed 764 milligrams of turmeric powder capsules over 12 weeks (100 mg/day of curcumin) ‘improved remarkably’. After three months of treatment, symptoms and the load on caregivers significantly decreased. All came to recognize their family within 1 year of treatment.
Recently, research conducted at the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in Germany found that a bioactive compound found in turmeric promotes stem cell proliferation and differentiation in the brain.
Researchers injected aromatic-turmerone (from turmeric) directly in the neutral stem cells of a rat’s brain. Rats are used in initial scientific experiments such as these because they have similar biological and genetic characteristics to humans.
When researchers later scanned the brain, they noticed that certain parts of the brain had increased in activity following the infusion. The infusions had increased the brain’s self-repair and recovery by 80%.
More trials are needed to establish whether or not the effects will translate to humans.
As explained by Adele Rueger, lead author of the study, “While several substances have been described to promote stem cell proliferation in the brain, fewer drugs additionally promote the differentiation of stem cells into neurons, which constitutes a major goal in regenerative medicine. Our findings on aromatic turmerone take us one step closer to achieving this goal.”
If further research demonstrates that turmeric has similar effects on the regenerative capabilities of the human brain, it could potentially advance treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinsons, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Huntington’s.
Any way you can incorporate turmeric into your diet will be good for you. It’s commonly used in curries and this has been used to explain why the rate of Alzheimer’s in India is significantly less than the rest of the world. Turmeric can also be added to soup, sauces, stews, stir-fries – anything.
So spice it up – whenever you can – your brain will love you for it.
[irp posts=”1375″ name=”Simple Ways to Supercharge Brain Health and Mental Performance”]
![It’s the simple things that are everything. We know play, conversation, micro-connections, predictability, and having a responsive reliable relationship with at least one loving adult, can make the most profound difference in buffering and absorbing the sharp edges of the world. Not all children will get this at home. Many are receiving it from childcare or school. It all matters - so much.
But simple isn’t always easy.
Even for children from safe, loving, homes with engaged, loving parent/s there is so much now that can swallow our kids whole if we let it - the unsafe corners of the internet; screen time that intrudes on play, connection, stillness, sleep, and joy; social media that force feeds unsafe ideas of ‘normal’, and algorithms that hijack the way they see the world.
They don’t need us to be perfect. They just need us to be enough. Enough to balance what they’re getting fed when they aren’t with us. Enough talking to them, playing with them, laughing with them, noticing them, enjoying them, loving and leading them. Not all the time. Just enough of the time.
But first, we might have to actively protect the time when screens, social media, and the internet are out of their reach. Sometimes we’ll need to do this even when they fight hard against it.
We don’t need them to agree with us. We just need to hear their anger or upset when we change what they’ve become used to. ‘I know you don’t want this and I know you’re angry at me for reducing your screen time. And it’s happening. You can be annoyed, and we’re still [putting phones and iPads in the basket from 5pm] (or whatever your new rules are).’♥️](https://www.heysigmund.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed-pro/img/placeholder.png)
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