Austria, March 26: Turmeric, hailed as a wonder spice by Ayurvedics has now gained recognition amongst researchers as well. As per a study by Medical University Graz, Austria, Turmeric has been associated with slowing of liver damage. Turmeric is generally added to dishes for imparting food a bright yellow color. The research has been published in the Gut magazine.
Researchers conducted experiments on mice in order to establish the link between liver damage and Curcumin. Curcumin is an ingredient found in Turmeric. The mice used in the experiments were injected with chemicals that led to liver damage. They were then fed with a Curcumin included diet. Another group of mice were fed with normal diet.
The mice were monitored for the effects of Turmeric both before and after intake of Curcumin enriched diet. The observations were recorded over a period of Four and a half months. The results were recorded on the basis of Tissues and blood samples of the mice.
It was observed that in mice fed with Curcumin diet liver cell damage and scarring or fibrosis was curbed. The Curcumin fed mice has lesser level of bile duct obstruction. “It seemed to show that curcumin targets several different parts of the inflammatory process and could offer a promising treatment in the future.” Lead researcher Professor Michael Trauner stated.
The effect of Turmeric has been encouraging on cutting down 2 types of auto-immune diseases of the liver. Primary sclerosing cholangitis and primary biliary cirrhosis have little known cure. In most of the cases, liver transplant is the only option. “Current treatment for inflammatory liver disease involves ursodeoxycholic acid, the long term effects of which remain unclear.” Michael Trauner said.
Turmeric since ancient times has been known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antiseptic properties. It has been considered to work wonders beautifying the skin and treating external ulcers. Off late researchers have shown that Turmeric also cuts down cancer risk.
And now this latest research has opened new pathways for researchers to explore the goodness of this wonder spice. What’s even better is that Turmeric is a natural product and is easily available. Though the study is in its initial stages, we might see turmeric based drugs to control liver inflammations.
—Agencies