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Dab it, drink it, eat it: Turmeric’s a medical winner, say experts
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Dr. Tudor Senadheera says nowadays there is increasing use of turmeric in Western medicine to treat cancer
Turmeric is an antiseptic and has a host of other health benefits that are not understood or used by the younger generation, say Ayurveda experts.
“People know it as a spice but in Ayurveda it is not only a spice — the plant itself is a powerful medicinal herb,” said senior consultant at the Department of Ayurveda, Dr. D.H. Tennakoon.
It was used for internal ailments such as asthma and externally used for skin ailments and is even used as a painkiller when attending to bone fractures.
Dr. Tennakoon who was the former director of the Ayurveda Hospital, Borella said turmeric was a strong antiseptic and could be mixed easily with water and applied on wounds, and could reduce pain in wounds.
It is used to treat skin rashes and fungi infections. Healthy people could also use the plant to improve their complexion and gain a healthy skin.
Dr. Tennakoon said if turmeric was used in a drink or in food it would kill all germs and take toxicity away in the food.”When the turmeric enters the body it absorbs all the toxins and cleanses the blood and releases the toxins through sweat and urine. It is also considered good for pregnant mothers and for women with small babies.”
Medical Superintendent and Director of Siddhalepa Hospital, Dr. Tudor Senadheera, said, “In Ayurveda, turmeric comes under the family name haridra, and there are many varieties of turmeric.”From ancient times turmeric was used in many applications — even in devil dances, where the talisman given to patients was rubbed with a piece of turmeric to stop “killi”. Dr Senadhera said killi was germs, not any other force.
Even houses, kovils and statues of gods were washed with turmeric and water because it is a germ killer.He also said nowadays there was increasing use of turmeric in Western medicine to treat cancer but in Sri Lanka people had used the plant from ancient times for the illness, in smaller amounts.”Turmeric grows in both Sri Lanka and India but local turmeric products are not up to standard and it is not grown in quantity, so Ayurvedic doctors have to import turmeric from India.
“If we could grow turmeric here and prepare it properly it will be good for Ayurvedic hospitals and there would be a good new income stream for farmers, and the country would be healthier,” the doctor said. (KW)
