TALKING TURMERIC
The golden goddess of the spice world, turmeric (Curcuma longa) has long been revered in South Asian culture for its use in the kitchen and traditional medicine. It is still often hailed as a ‘super spice’ that cures all ails. Food Editor Emma Winterschladen takes a look at some of the interesting new research surrounding turmeric, and what it means on a practical level for our health and wellbeing.
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ou only have to look at some of the 53 names for turmeric in Sanskrit to appreciate its status in Indian culture; from ‘bhadra’ meaning ‘auspicious or lucky’, to ‘jayanti’ meaning ‘one that wins over diseases’, this golden spice has enjoyed a long history of culinary and medicinal prestige dating back almost 4,000 years. Today turmeric remains a staple ingredient in Indian cooking and is still highly regarded in Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine for its therapeutic benefits. And with India producing nearly all the turmeric crop and consuming 80 per cent of it, what we do know is that places with a high daily consumption of turmeric boast lower rates of disease, particularly certain cancers. Yet, it’s only in the past half a century that turmeric has
found its way onto the radar of modern medicine, with over 3,000 studies being published in the past 25 years alone. So what have these studies brought to light so far? First discovered two centuries ago, it is turmeric’s active compound ‘curcumin’ that has been shown to exhibit antibacterial, antioxidising, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity, as well as cancer-fighting potential. Indications of curcumin’s anticancer activities were first shown in 1987, when it was discovered that topical curcumin put directly on the skin produced remarkable symptomatic relief of cancerous lesions in patients. More recently, a study in 2009 in Ireland found that curcumin killed off oesophageal cancer cells in the laboratory, with researchers finding that curcumin started to destroy the cancer cells within 24 hours.
However, at present, much of the research on curcumin has only taken place in a lab or on animals. In order to fully understand turmeric’s potential beneficial effects on human health, more clinical trials need to take place – most specifically looking at how its ability ‘to modulate multiple cell signalling pathways’ can help inhibit tumorous growth to prevent and treat human cancers. Indeed, because of curcumin’s poor bioavailability and how quickly it metabolises in the body, it has so far been a challenge to successfully translate turmeric’s suggested anti-cancer activity to humans. Piperine, found in black pepper, has been shown to significantly increase its absorption, as well as consuming it alongside fats, due to its lipophilicity (ability to absorb into fat particles). For this 29
reason, many believe that the key to benefiting from turmeric’s cancer-fighting potential may lie in what many have been doing for thousands of years – cooking with it. BBC Two’s Trust Me I’m a Doctor, looked to prove exactly this. They teamed up with Newcastle University to conduct a groundbreaking experiment into the practical health benefits of turmeric, using nearly 100 volunteers. After taking blood samples, they split the volunteers into three groups: one group was to take a teaspoon of turmeric powder daily; one an equal amount of turmeric but in supplement form; and the other a placebo pill. The experiment took place over the course of six weeks and the outcome was startling: although all groups showed an equal increase in oxidised stress (the first test), and an equal decrease in white blood cell count (the second test), it was the DNA methylation test, developed by Professor Martin Widschwendter and his team at UCL, that showed the most compelling results for turmeric. This particular test is an exciting step forward in cancer research as it tracks which part of our genetic code is being read by particular cells – and this in turn determines the instruction received by the body. It has recently been discovered that certain methylation processes
can ‘go wrong’ in our DNA, and it is this that can lead to the development of cancer. The ability to be able to spot signature DNA methylation changes offers the prospect of being able to predict cancer before it occurs. Fascinatingly, the group who took a teaspoon of powdered turmeric everyday (and not those who took a supplement or placebo) saw a very significant change in the methylation of a particular gene that’s associated with depression and anxiety, asthma and eczema, and – perhaps most importantly – cancer. There were, of course, caveats with the experiment, explained in the TV programme, such as the levels of curcumin in the volunteer’s bodies not being measured, making it hard to pinpoint exactly why those eating turmeric saw such a change. What’s more, we don’t yet know the implications of such a methylation change, but the fact that turmeric has already been associated with improving such conditions suggests beneficial change. One thing is certain, however: cooking with even a small amount of turmeric regularly and over a period of time seems to affect our bodies on a genetic level. More research is needed to explore the extent of turmeric’s potential on human health and longevity, but adding a little turmeric to your cooking in the meantime can surely only be a good thing.
Crispy roasted turmeric cauliflower salad with almonds, kale, vegetable noodles and a lemon zest dressing Serves 2 500g cauliflower florets 3 cloves garlic, skin on 1 tbsp turmeric 2 tsp coriander seeds 1 tsp cumin 1 red chilli, thinly sliced (optional) ½ lemon, juice and zest 4 tbsp olive oil 30g kale 60g almonds Salt and cracked black pepper Fresh parsley to serve l l l l l l l l l l l l
For the vegetable noodles 1 large raw beetroot 2 courgettes 2 tbsp olive oil Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley ½ lemon, juice l l l l l
For dressing 2 tbsp Greek yoghurt 2 tbsp olive oil ½ lemon, juice and zest l l l
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Preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/ gas mark 5. Place the cauliflower and whole garlic cloves onto a roasting tray. In a bowl, mix together the turmeric, coriander seeds, cumin, chilli, half the lemon juice and 3 tbsp of olive oil. Massage the oil mixture into the cauliflower, grate over half a lemon zest and season with salt and pepper before placing in the oven for 20 minutes, checking halfway through to mix it together. 2 When the cauliflower is golden and cooked through, add the kale and almonds on top, massage in 1 tbsp of olive oil, and then place in the oven for a further 5 minutes, until the kale is crispy and the almonds toasted. 3 As the cauliflower cooks, spiralize the courgettes and beetroot (or thinly slice lengthways). Drizzle 2 tbsp of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon and season well. 4 Pile the noodles on a serving platter, followed by the roasted cauliflower, kale and almonds. Take the whole garlic cloves out of the roasting tin, peel and mash them in a bowl with the Greek yoghurt, olive oil and lemon juice for the dressing. 5 Drizzle the dressing over the cauliflower salad and serve with fresh parsley.
SOURCES Therapeutic Roles of Curcumin: Lessons Learnt from Clinical Trials, 2013 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23143785 Curcumin Induces Apoptosis-Independent Death in Oesophageal Cancer Cells – nature.com/bjc/journal/v101/n9/abs/6605308a.html Turmeric and Curcumin as Topical Agents in Cancer Therapy, Tumon 1987 – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2435036 Does Turmeric Really Help Protect us From Cancer? – bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/PSTGKKt3HR08tmK69w7J1b/does-turmeric-really-help-protect-us-from-cancer Chapter 13 – Turmeric, the Golden Spice – ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92752 The Health Benefits of Turmeric – webmd.boots.com/healthy-eating/features/health-benefits-turmeric
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Mackerel and pearl barley kedgeree Brought over to England during the British Raj era, this Anglo-Indian dish soon became a Victorian breakfast-time favourite. Bursting with the warming flavours of India, this twist on a culinary classic is perfect for a sociable brunch or hearty lunch. Serves 6-8 1 red onion 1½ red chillis 1cm ginger 3 cloves garlic 1 tbsp coconut/rapeseed oil 1 tsp garam masala 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp turmeric 400g pearl barley 1 litre vegetable stock 2 lemons 4 organic eggs 200g frozen peas 3-4 fillets smoked peppered mackerel Plain, live yoghurt 2 spring onions, finely sliced Fresh parsley and coriander l l l l l l l l l l l l l l
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1 Finely slice the red onion, 1 chilli and
the ginger, then crush the garlic with the side of a knife and roughly chop. Heat the oil in a large wok or pan and sauté for a few minutes. Then add in the garam masala, ground coriander and turmeric and cook until the garlic, onion, ginger and chillies are soft and have absorbed the spices. 2 Add in the pearl barley and mix until it’s covered in the spices. Add in half the stock and let it cook on a medium heat for 35 minutes until the pearl barley is tender, stirring frequently and adding the remaining 500ml of stock as you go. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon and grate half the lemon skin for zest.
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While the pearl barley is cooking, place the eggs in a pan of water, bring up to the boil and cook for 6-7 minutes (depending how soft you like the yolk). Drain the water and place the eggs under a cold running tap. Peel and cut in half. Set aside. 4 In a sieve, pour hot water over the frozen peas and then add into the pan with the pearl barley, a few minutes before it’s ready to serve. Flake in the mackerel and mix it all together, seasoning well. 5 Serve up the kedgeree in a large serving dish with the boiled eggs, remaining lemon wedges to squeeze over and the yoghurt. Finish by scattering over the spring onions and half a chopped chilli, parsley and coriander.