DrAxe | Turmeric is the main spice in curry, and it is one of the most powerful herbs on the planet when it comes to fighting and reversing diseases. It provides many health benefits and currently there are 6,235 perr-reviewed articles and each of these proves its power, and also the benefits provided by curcumin, a renowned healing compound.

This is why turmeric is on the top of the list of most frequently mentioned healing herbs, and it is followed by garlic, cinnamon, ginseng, ginger and milk thistle.

If you take these studies into consideration, the most interesting finding is the fact that when compared to conventional drugs, turmeric is as effective as pharmaceutical medications. Moreover, some studies even report that curcumin is more powerful than prescription drugs.

As the research shows, turmeric is more beneficial than these 10 drugs:

Anti-inflammatory drugs
Anti-depressants (Prozac)
Chemotherapy
Anti-coagulants (Aspirin)
Pain killers
Diabetes drugs (Metformin)
Arthritis medications
Inflammatory bowel disease drugs
Cholesterol drugs (Lipitor)
Steroids

Here is a deeper explanation regarding its benefits in reversing specific diseases:

10 Drugs that cannot be compared to turmeric

The list is much longer, but these 10 drugs pale in comparison to turmeric when it comes to reversing diseases. Keep in mind that the lack of side-effects in the use of curcumin is probably one of its most important advantages.

1. Anticoagulants/Antiplatelets

These medications are commonly used to slow and prevent blood clots:
Aspirin
Clopidogrel (Plavix)
Diclofenac
Enoxaparin (Lovenox)
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others)
Naproxen
Warfarin (Coumadin), and others

These drugs are not the smartest option for people who need them, usually people who deal with deep-vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. They cause excessive bleeding and hemorrhage, and other side-effects, ranging from back pain and headaches to difficulty breathing.

Turmeric has no side-effects, unless it is consumed in extremely excessive amount.
Since the great groundbreaking studies in the mid-1980s, researchers have suggested curcumin as a much better option for people with vascular thrombosis.

2. Anti-Depressants

Although there are not many studies conducted on humans, dozens of scientific research trials have confirmed that turmeric effectively corrects depression symptoms in laboratory animals.

Last year the journal Phytotherapy Research publishes the results of an innovative study. It involved 60 volunteers diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). Scientists divided the group in order to determine the effect of Prozac, curcumin and a combination of the two.

It was discovered that patients tolerate curcumin well, and it was also found that curcumin is as effective as Prozac when it comes to managing depression.
The authors explained, “This study provides first clinical evidence that curcumin may be used as an effective and safe therapy for treatment in patients with Mild Depression.”

3. Anti-Inflammatory Drugs

The most powerful benefit provided by turmeric is its ability to control inflammation.
A study published by the journal Oncogene evaluated anti-inflammatory compounds, and found that, surprisingly, aspirin and ibuprofen are least effective, and that curcumin is one of the most effective anti-inflammatory compounds.

Every single individual throughout the world should know this information, because inflammations increase the risk for almost every disease and disorder ever known.
Inflammation can lead to diseases like cancer, ulcerative colitis, arthritis, high cholesterol, and chronic pain. As many scientists would agree, turmeric’s power for disease reversal is in its ability to fight inflammation.

4. Arthritis Management

Curcumin is known for its strong anti-inflammatory and pain reducing properties. A study involved 45 patients diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, and scientists compared the benefits of curcumin to arthritis drugs, including disclofen sodium, responsible for the risk of leaky gut and heart disease.

Scientists divided the patients into three groups. The first group received curcumin alone, the second disclofenac sodium alone, and the third was given a combination of the two. The results of this trial are quite eye-opening:

“The curcumin group showed the highest percentage of improvement in overall [Disease Activity Score] scores and these scores were significantly better than the patients in the diclofenac sodium group.

More importantly, curcumin treatment was found to be safe and did not relate with any adverse events. Our study provides the first evidence for the safety and superiority of curcumin treatment in patients with active RA, and highlights the need for future large-scale trials to validate these findings in patients with RA and other arthritic conditions.”

In 2012, Phytotherapy Research published the results of this study and encouraged other human research in order to evaluate the effect of curcumin rich plants on people diagnosed with different types of arthritis.

5. Cancer Treatment

Cancer is probably one of the most thoroughly researched topics when it comes to curcumin and disease reversal. According to global authorities like Cancer Research UK:

“A number of laboratory studies on cancer cells have shown that curcumin does have anticancer effects. It seems to be able to kill cancer cells and prevent more from growing. It has the best effects on breast cancer, bowel cancer, stomach cancer and skin cancer cells.

A 2007 American study that combined curcumin with chemotherapy to treat bowel cancer cells in a laboratory showed that the combined treatment killed more cancer cells than the chemotherapy alone. ”

In the US, the American Cancer Society stated:

“Laboratory studies have also shown that curcumin interferes with cancer development, growth, and spread. Researchers have reported that curcumin blocked the formation of cancer-causing enzymes in rodents.

Recently, curcumin has received a great deal of focus because of it’s ability to reduce tumor size and kill cancer cells.”

Bottom line: Turmeric is quite efficient in stopping cancer in its tracks and it works great in the treatment of breast, colon and skin cancer.