One of the proven cancer treatments is called chemotherapy. It is the use of certain drugs, referring to anticancer medications, with the function to stop or destroy the cancer cells. It acts like poison. Unfortunately, the process of treatment does not always provide the same positive results to one patient to another. The medications also affect in the healthy body. Side effects like anemia, hair loss, oral sores, fertility and others can’t be prevented.
There have been found many choices of herbal alternative to chemotherapy. The result of taking the anticancer medication through therapy can always be satisfied. Fortunately, people nowadays can take the advantage of herbal or natural medications that also have the same function like chemotherapy. One of the popular herbal alternatives is turmeric. It is a kind of spice from the dried rhizome of Curcuma longa. It has been popularly used as herbal remedies in Asian countries including China and India. Its active ingredient, curcumin can effectively treat some kids of cancer including colon cancer, mammary cancer, prostate cancer, esophageal cancer, murine hepatocarcinogenesis and oral cancer. The turmeric works to block the cancer fertilizer called VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor). Without it, the cancer cells won’t be able to thrive and commit to suicide eventually. Besides removing the cancer cells, the turmeric also has another good benefit, strengthening the healthy cells.
Turmeric is a common spice. You can go to a spice or herb store and fresh market to get it. However, you probably feel unpleasant to take this spice orally. You can put it into your daily foods and beverages. The simple beverage to take daily is Turmeric / ginger tea. To make the tea, bring 2 C of water to be boiled, add 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric and 1 teaspoon of ground or shaved ginger root. Simmer the tea for 10 minutes, then add honey or lemon to get the preferred taste and as a splash of almond milk. Adding a pinch of black pepper, nutmeg or cinnamon is also possible to have more flavor and benefits. The combination of black pepper and turmeric can increase the nutrients absorption and bio-availability. When cooking, you can also include turmeric as part of general seasoning. You are also able to eat sprinkle turmeric over salads and steamed veggies.
