Turmeric comes from the orange-fleshed  roots of  a plant native to Indonesia and southern India. Its  volatile oils curcumin, have been proved to offer protection against inflammatory diseases comparable to modern drugs.

In India, Turmeric was traditionally called Indian saffron because of its deep yellow colour. It has  been used throughout history as a textile dye as well as a spice.  For this reason it is  hard to remove turmeric stains from clothing.

Curcumin is thought to be the main health-promoting compound in turmeric, and studies have shown that it is a  powerful antioxidant.

Turmeric helps  prevent colon cancer and inhibit the  growth of certain types of cancer cells, such as breast and prostate cancers. The compound is also able to lower ‘bad’ cholesterol, and increase ‘good’ cholesterol.

Turmeric may slow the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis.

15 g of  turmeric contains

• 24 Kcalories
• o.7 g fat
• 0.5 g protein
• 4.4 g carbohydrate
• 1.4 g fibre
• 225  mcg folate
• 13 mg magnesium
• 172 potassium
• 2.8 mg iron