The root of preventing all illness
Nothing beats a strong curry dish – and I mean really strong. And it only gets better knowing that it not only tastes great but also contains a substance said to help prevent cancer, Alzheimer’s, dementia, arthritis, and diabetes.
The substance in question is curcumin, which is found in turmeric. This is the spice that gives curry its yellow color. Curcumin is primarily extracted from the root of the plant.
Turmeric itself doesn’t have much flavor, but when preparing curry dishes, a generous amount of other spices is always added, especially chili, cayenne pepper, paprika (sweet, medium, hot), along with various milder spices like cumin and coriander.
According to the Alzheimer’s Association, studies on Indians have shown that they rarely develop Alzheimer’s.(http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8080630.stm).
In order to scientifically prove something, experiments must be conducted. However, for ethical reasons, these experiments cannot be performed on humans, so mice and rats are used for such studies. It has been shown that large amounts of curcumin can prevent and reduce phenomena that lead to certain diseases, and researchers have discovered that curcumin can kill cancer cells (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8328377.stm).
However, what works in mice and rats does not necessarily work in humans, and an effective treatment would require consuming more turmeric than even a “curry fanatic” could manage. Nonetheless, they (so far) haven’t found curry to be harmful, so I’ll continue enjoying my spicy curry dishes. My favorite is “Indian lips” with spicy spinach.
I also think the Ministry of Health should provide support to establish an “Indian Curry House.” Indian curry dishes could compete with pizza, steaks, hot dogs, and fish and chips. I’m honestly surprised that no one has started something like this already, but perhaps it would be challenging to keep it running, since many Faroese people primarily want their food to taste like salt.
If anyone is interested in reading more about turmeric, there’s an excellent Norwegian link here:
http://www.rolv.no/urtemedisin/medisinplanter/curc_lon.htm
NB. Í øllum hesum “populer”-leinkjunum eru leinki víðari til vísindaligu keldurnar.
