There have been reportedly many instances that lead us into believing that naturopathy may help immensely in the cure of cancer. While too many steep priced drugs outside of chemotherapy may be backed by a lot of doctors, there are reports that a large number of individuals are shifting to natural methods for effectively conquering the disease sans the harmful side effects. One such natural method is the usage of turmeric spice in quantities higher than normal in daily diet.

 Turmeric has been nicknamed as a ‘superfood’ in many cultures and is used as are remedy for almost anything. But its so called amazing efficacy in combating cancer comes as a brilliantly shocking intervention in naturopathy.

Turmeric is a super spice, originally from India and neighboring islands and has been valued for its culinary and pharmacological profits. It has a tangy, bitter flavour that adds to its bright orange color. It is a root, exactly same in looks as ginger and the crop is almost 5000 years old. That means for ages, turmeric has been used for its benefits in India and neighboring countries. It is the active compound 'Curcumin' chemically diferuloylmethane, found in turmeric which has the anticancer properties.

A peer reviewed research by the UCLA has reportedly shown that turmeric can naturally impede the growth of cancer cells. More so, in more than nine studies, it has been revealed that superfood turmeric can effectively shrink tumor size by 81%. Curcumin has effectively inhibited the transcription factor NF-κB and other gene products like c-myc and Bcl-2.  Apart from that it helps in inhibiting angiogenesis and other processes essential to carcinogenesis.

 The legitimacy about this spice is that though there are very less researches that back this discovery still, alternative medicine practitioners have helped a lot of people in getting a new life by conquering not only benign but also metastatic cancers.  The most fascinating fact is that turmeric which has so much potential in being as a natural cancer fighter, is a commonly found home spice that has been used for many years in kitchen, with all other medical fields explored but cancer.

Vicky Stewart from Britain reportedly refused all mainstream treatments and inclined towards natural methods for fighting cancer. She changed her lifestyle and incorporated turmeric in her diet in large quantities every day, firmly believing in the anticancer properties of cancer along with a heavily installed willpower. The most disappointing thing that the mainstream doctors told her was that she would never recuperate from her disease and that the spice would basically do nothing.  Her cancer healed well and on top of that, there have been no signs of any relapse, even after four years.  Stewart has explained, “Turmeric kind of makes cancer cells commit suicide and ginger and garlic are great to cook with.”

She is now effectively handling a major research project in favour of the same.

But even when chemical evidences have proven that curcumin may actually help in skirmishing cancer, many mainstream doctors are still in favor of chemotherapy and radiation as the only form of treatment, purely regarding the natural remedies as jokes. More comprehensively, individuals are paving way for cheaper and more easily accessible therapies in a bid to salvage the body from harmful side effects and possible high financial bereaving.

References:

Wilken R, Veena MS, Wang MB, Srivatsan ES. Curcumin: A review of anti-cancer properties and therapeutic activity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Mol Cancer. 2011 Feb 7;10:12. doi: 10.1186/1476-4598-10-12.

Badmaev, Vladimir, et al. "Curcuminoids from Curcuma longa in the fight against cancer and age related disorders." Australian Journal of Medical Herbalism 20.2 (2008): 57.