Turmeric: India's 'Holy Powder' Finally Reveals Its Centuries-old Secret

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090420123051.htm

ScienceDaily (Apr. 21, 2009) — Scientists in Michigan are reporting discovery of the secret behind the fabled healing power of the main ingredient in
turmeric — a spice revered in India as "holy powder."

In the study, Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy and colleagues point out that turmeric has been used for centuries in folk medicine to treat wounds, infections, and
other health problems. Although modern scientific research on the spice has burgeoned in recent years, scientists until now did not know exactly how curcumin
works inside the body.

Using a high-tech instrument termed solid-state NMR spectroscopy, the scientists discovered that molecules of curcumin act like a biochemical disciplinarian.
They insert themselves into cell membranes and make the membranes more stable and orderly in a way that increases cells' resistance to infection by
disease-causing microbes.