Download Turmeric – The Anticancer Spice

The Whole Plate:
A Return to Real Food
Turmeric – The Anti-Cancer Spice
By Jane Siemon
Herbs and spices impart wonderful flavors to foods, but they also contribute
health factors to our bodies. Many of them enhance digestion and cut down gas in the gut,
but some of them offer special benefits for the body. Turmeric is one of these.
A root similar to ginger root but smaller and deep orange, turmeric contains the
phytochemical curcumin. Phytochemicals are like spark plugs in our metabolic processes.
They are found in the colorful vegetables, fruits, grains and spices. Curcumin protects
DNA and works in many ways to help cancer fighting factors in the body. It is an antiinflammatory and protects against ulcers. Curcumin itself inhibits growth of tumors and
can even help inhibit skin cancer when applied topically. Besides the beneficial
properties of curcumnin, turmeric has antibacterial properties, is helpful to digestion by
enhancing metabolism and protects against heart disease. It helps to dissolve undesirable
fats and destroys free radicals in the body. Turmeric stimulates the liver making it more
effective at producing bile that is what breaks down fats.
The best way to use turmeric is to cook with it. Used extensively in India in
recipes, turmeric needs to be sautéed in the oil for a minute before vegetables or meat are
added. Heating the spice a little allows it to work properly with the food in a beneficial
way. Using about ¼ tsp. powdered turmeric per meal is adequate. It has a brilliant
orange yellow color so can enhance many dishes.
I keep it in a shaker by my salt and pepper to remind me to use it frequently.
It is great with eggs, in chicken soup (it makes it a beautiful golden color), in macaroni
and cheese and of course in Indian curries. The flavor is mildly bitter so often you cannot
detect any change in flavor with the addition of turmeric.
Of all the spices, turmeric is the most powerful cancer fighter.
I have included a recipe for Curried Chicken. If you have never tried Indian
cooking, many of the ingredients might be foreign to you. A store with ingredients for
Indian cooking will have these spices or a large grocery store with an ethnic section. At
my local coop, we actually have fresh turmeric root and the powdered spice which is
wonderful. Omitting some of the spices in this recipe still results in a delicious dish as
long as you have the curry paste and the turmeric. Powdered spices can always be
substituted for whole spices.
Chicken Curry
4 Tbl. ghee or olive oil
4 cloves
4 to 6 green cardamoms
1 piece cinnamon stick
3 whole star anise
4 cloves garlic, crushed
4Tbl. mild curry paste
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. five spice powder
1-3 lb. chicken, cut in pieces
6 to 8 curry leaves
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 piece fresh ginger, 2 inches, crushed
14 oz. canned tomatoes, chopped
1 can coconut milk
salt to taste
1. Heat oil in deep skillet and sauté the cloves, cardamoms, cinnamon stick, star
anise and curry leaves, until the cloves swell.
2. Add the onion, ginger and garlic and fry until the onion turns brown.
3. Add the curry paste, turmeric and five spice powder and fry until the oil
separates.
4. Add the chicken pieces and mix well. When all the pieces are evenly
sealed, cover and cook until the meat is nearly done.
5. Add the chopped tomatoes and the coconut. Simmer gently until the coconut
dissolves. Mix well and add the salt to taste.
This is a rather thin dish. To thicken it, cook uncovered for the last 15
minutes. Serve it over brown rice.
The chicken pieces can be cooked with or without the skin on.
Recipe courtesy of Taste of India by Rafi Fernandez
Reference: The Answer to Cancer By Hari Sharma, M.D., Rama K. Mishra, G.A.M.S.,
and James G. Meade, Ph.D.