How spices work against osteoarthritis and migraine
Turmeric, saffron, chilli: In some cultures, they have been used as medicine for millennia. But can they really relieve discomfort? The number of studies on spice medicine is growing
In Asia, it is said, one does not eat enough, but satisfied. And healthy. A style that has long arrived in Germany. Food should be more than just life support. It is designed to stimulate the mind and strengthen the body. A special effect is attributed to spices. Turmeric, saffron, ginger or caraway have been used as medicine for thousands of years - against inflammation or headaches . Physicians and scientists repeatedly examine how exactly the substances act on the body.
The focus is on a favorite spice of many company canteens: curry powder. However, the researchers do not think of the currywurst spiced with it, but of the ingredient that gives the powder its yellow color: the root of the turmeric plant is currently the most intensively investigated plant substrate.
In 2015 alone, 1209 specialist publications on the health aspects of turmeric have been published, including 119 clinical studies, reports the Munich-based allergist and spice expert Peter Schnabel. He is a member of the research group " Noxenkatalog-Datenbank " at the Technical University of Munich.
Curcumin against inflammation
The researchers are interested in the turmeric curcumin contained in the turmeric. For 5000 years it has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for inflammation. And because inflammation probably also plays a role in cancer, curcumin is considered to be anti-cancer. In the US, scientists investigated this effect ten years ago. They were able to show that intestinal polyps, from which colon cancer often develops, regress under the influence of the substance.
The formation of metastases, secondary tumors of a tumor, may also be curbed with curcumin. At least experimental studies by the Munich biochemist Beatrice Bachmeier, whose results she published in the journal "Molecular Oncology" . However, effects observed in the laboratory can not easily be transferred to humans.
The effective control of inflammation often brings a pain relief for the person with it. Positive effects of curcumin can be observed, for example, in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
But if you want to benefit from the positive effects of the yellow root, you do not have to be seriously ill. Turmeric stimulates bile production, which helps in the digestion of fatty foods. A turmeric spiced food is therefore better digestible.
Saffron can be more than yellow
In addition to turmeric, saffron has a permanent place in spice medicine. For five millennia doctors have used the dried, three-part pistils. 80 percent of the approximately 205 tons of saffron traded annually are produced in Iran. Therefore, especially Persian scientists are interested in the study of saffron effects.
It is well documented that the substance helps against depression . Eight placebo-controlled studies showed this effect. In six further studies, Iranian researchers compared the therapeutic effect of saffron extracts with that of synthetic antidepressants. They saw a similar antidepressant effect for saffron as for the synthetic drugs imipramine and fluoxetine.
Saffron affects the mood of a person on several levels. It increases the level of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, has a positive effect on the release of the "good mood hormone" serotonin, it has a detoxifying, anti-inflammatory effect and protects the nerve cells.
Another placebo-controlled study showed that saffron is just as effective in treating Alzheimer's disease as the synthetic dementia drug Donepezil. In another study, saffron alleviated the pain of premenstrual syndrome. And ophthalmologists from the University of Rome found in two studies that saffron, taken in the early stage of macular degeneration AMD, can improve visual acuity. Also in erectile dysfunction and allergies studies showed effects.
Saffron is considered the most expensive and noble spice in the world. To gain one kilogram of saffron threads, you need about 150,000 to 200,000 flowers, which are still picked by hand today. Because saffron is so expensive, counterfeits are widespread.
On exotic markets tourists are often turned on a yellow turmeric powder as saffron. Saffron powder is never yellow, but dark red. It only turns yellow. If you want to be sure, you should buy threads instead of powder. Medically, you should never take the spice without the advice of a doctor. Incorrectly dosed, saffron can be poisonous.
Ginger relieves migraine and knee pain
Another yellow spice is used medically: the ginger root. Their ingredients stimulate, for example, the gastric secretion, increase the salivation and promote the mobility of the intestine.
Ginger helps against travel sickness, pregnancy sickness, dizziness, chronic cough and osteoarthritis, explains Peter Schnabel. The fact that many researchers believe that the plant has even more potential benefits is proven by the 252 studies that were published in 2015 alone.
The researchers found that ginger can also be used to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatic knee pain. And that it has an impact on blood pressure, blood lipid levels and blood clotting.
As one of the current studies shows, migraine patients can also benefit from ginger therapy. A team of scientists from Zanjan University in Iran compared the effects of ginger preparation with the effects of sumatriptan in a randomized double-blind study. The synthetic drug is prescribed for acute migraine.
The study involved 100 patients who had been suffering from migraine several times a month for several years. Half of the study participants were given a capsule containing 50 mg of sumatriptan the next time, and the other a capsule containing 250 mg of ginger root powder. You should take the pills every 20 minutes after the onset of pain. Two hours later they indicated on a scale how severe their pain was still.
Ginger was just as effective as the drug. The intensity of the pain was reduced by 4.7 units in the sumatriptan group within the two hours and by 4.6 units in the ginger group. In 70 percent of patients treated with sumatriptan and 64 percent of those treated with ginger powder, the pain decreased by more than 90 percent.
Only the undesirable side effects differed: While several subjects in the sumatriptan group reported nausea, dizziness, dizziness and heartburn, ginger patients complained only of indigestion.
Caraway for cramps and colic
Even in Germany already established as natural medicine is caraway. The spice makes food easier to digest. And many grandmothers knew that you can relieve stomach cramps, bloating, colic and flatulence with caraway tea.
Those who suffer from such symptoms again and again without doctors finding a cause often receive the diagnosis of functional dyspepsia, the so-called irritable-gastric syndrome. Cumin can also help such patients, according to an international study involving 20 German practices.
The researchers divided 114 patients into two groups. Half received one capsule of a high-dose combination of 90 mg peppermint oil and 50 mg caraway oil daily for four weeks. The control group was treated with a placebo preparation. After four weeks, the patients treated with the oils were much better off.
Chilli releases pain
Anyone who has ever bitten into a raw chilli, knows the effect: The substance Capsaicin, which gives the more than 7000 different types of peppers their sharpness, triggers sweating and hot flashes. That you like to eat hot in warm areas like Thailand or Mexico, is related to: Chili increases the body's heat output and helps to endure the heat better.
For example, chili is used medically for treating sore throats. Even the Aztecs treated wounds and painful areas in the mouth and throat with chilli stirred in honey. In this country, patches have also prevailed against muscle tension and acute back pain.
"The effect of the chilli active ingredient on the coagulation factors of the blood has also been intensively studied," reports Peter Schnabel - with an astounding result: The substance was equal in studies aspirin. That is, it can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in certain patients.
Chili also stimulates the flow of saliva, protects the stomach lining, has an antibacterial effect and causes the body to release endorphins - the so-called happiness hormones.
The number of studies dealing with spices is impressive. However, many experimental studies are among them. That is, the effect of the substances was tested in the laboratory. You can not just transfer the results to humans like that. Only few subjects participated in some clinical trials and the effect was observed only for a short period of time. The results should be reviewed in larger long-term studies. And finally, many studies come from countries where the spices are grown. Of course they have a certain economic interest, Peter Schnabel points out.
Spices are therefore not to be seen as a tried and tested alternative to traditional medicines, but rather as a supplement, especially for serious illnesses. Anyone who wants to benefit from the effects, should also pay attention to one thing: Only if one eats the spice regularly, it can be effective in the body, explains Schnabel.
Turmeric, saffron, chilli: In some cultures, they have been used as medicine for millennia. But can they really relieve discomfort? The number of studies on spice medicine is growing
In Asia, it is said, one does not eat enough, but satisfied. And healthy. A style that has long arrived in Germany. Food should be more than just life support. It is designed to stimulate the mind and strengthen the body. A special effect is attributed to spices. Turmeric, saffron, ginger or caraway have been used as medicine for thousands of years - against inflammation or headaches . Physicians and scientists repeatedly examine how exactly the substances act on the body.
The focus is on a favorite spice of many company canteens: curry powder. However, the researchers do not think of the currywurst spiced with it, but of the ingredient that gives the powder its yellow color: the root of the turmeric plant is currently the most intensively investigated plant substrate.
In 2015 alone, 1209 specialist publications on the health aspects of turmeric have been published, including 119 clinical studies, reports the Munich-based allergist and spice expert Peter Schnabel. He is a member of the research group " Noxenkatalog-Datenbank " at the Technical University of Munich.
Curcumin against inflammation
The researchers are interested in the turmeric curcumin contained in the turmeric. For 5000 years it has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for inflammation. And because inflammation probably also plays a role in cancer, curcumin is considered to be anti-cancer. In the US, scientists investigated this effect ten years ago. They were able to show that intestinal polyps, from which colon cancer often develops, regress under the influence of the substance.
The formation of metastases, secondary tumors of a tumor, may also be curbed with curcumin. At least experimental studies by the Munich biochemist Beatrice Bachmeier, whose results she published in the journal "Molecular Oncology" . However, effects observed in the laboratory can not easily be transferred to humans.
The effective control of inflammation often brings a pain relief for the person with it. Positive effects of curcumin can be observed, for example, in patients with knee osteoarthritis.
But if you want to benefit from the positive effects of the yellow root, you do not have to be seriously ill. Turmeric stimulates bile production, which helps in the digestion of fatty foods. A turmeric spiced food is therefore better digestible.
Saffron can be more than yellow
In addition to turmeric, saffron has a permanent place in spice medicine. For five millennia doctors have used the dried, three-part pistils. 80 percent of the approximately 205 tons of saffron traded annually are produced in Iran. Therefore, especially Persian scientists are interested in the study of saffron effects.
It is well documented that the substance helps against depression . Eight placebo-controlled studies showed this effect. In six further studies, Iranian researchers compared the therapeutic effect of saffron extracts with that of synthetic antidepressants. They saw a similar antidepressant effect for saffron as for the synthetic drugs imipramine and fluoxetine.
Saffron affects the mood of a person on several levels. It increases the level of the neurotransmitters dopamine and norepinephrine, has a positive effect on the release of the "good mood hormone" serotonin, it has a detoxifying, anti-inflammatory effect and protects the nerve cells.
Another placebo-controlled study showed that saffron is just as effective in treating Alzheimer's disease as the synthetic dementia drug Donepezil. In another study, saffron alleviated the pain of premenstrual syndrome. And ophthalmologists from the University of Rome found in two studies that saffron, taken in the early stage of macular degeneration AMD, can improve visual acuity. Also in erectile dysfunction and allergies studies showed effects.
Saffron is considered the most expensive and noble spice in the world. To gain one kilogram of saffron threads, you need about 150,000 to 200,000 flowers, which are still picked by hand today. Because saffron is so expensive, counterfeits are widespread.
On exotic markets tourists are often turned on a yellow turmeric powder as saffron. Saffron powder is never yellow, but dark red. It only turns yellow. If you want to be sure, you should buy threads instead of powder. Medically, you should never take the spice without the advice of a doctor. Incorrectly dosed, saffron can be poisonous.
Ginger relieves migraine and knee pain
Another yellow spice is used medically: the ginger root. Their ingredients stimulate, for example, the gastric secretion, increase the salivation and promote the mobility of the intestine.
Ginger helps against travel sickness, pregnancy sickness, dizziness, chronic cough and osteoarthritis, explains Peter Schnabel. The fact that many researchers believe that the plant has even more potential benefits is proven by the 252 studies that were published in 2015 alone.
The researchers found that ginger can also be used to treat osteoarthritis and rheumatic knee pain. And that it has an impact on blood pressure, blood lipid levels and blood clotting.
As one of the current studies shows, migraine patients can also benefit from ginger therapy. A team of scientists from Zanjan University in Iran compared the effects of ginger preparation with the effects of sumatriptan in a randomized double-blind study. The synthetic drug is prescribed for acute migraine.
The study involved 100 patients who had been suffering from migraine several times a month for several years. Half of the study participants were given a capsule containing 50 mg of sumatriptan the next time, and the other a capsule containing 250 mg of ginger root powder. You should take the pills every 20 minutes after the onset of pain. Two hours later they indicated on a scale how severe their pain was still.
Ginger was just as effective as the drug. The intensity of the pain was reduced by 4.7 units in the sumatriptan group within the two hours and by 4.6 units in the ginger group. In 70 percent of patients treated with sumatriptan and 64 percent of those treated with ginger powder, the pain decreased by more than 90 percent.
Only the undesirable side effects differed: While several subjects in the sumatriptan group reported nausea, dizziness, dizziness and heartburn, ginger patients complained only of indigestion.
Caraway for cramps and colic
Even in Germany already established as natural medicine is caraway. The spice makes food easier to digest. And many grandmothers knew that you can relieve stomach cramps, bloating, colic and flatulence with caraway tea.
Those who suffer from such symptoms again and again without doctors finding a cause often receive the diagnosis of functional dyspepsia, the so-called irritable-gastric syndrome. Cumin can also help such patients, according to an international study involving 20 German practices.
The researchers divided 114 patients into two groups. Half received one capsule of a high-dose combination of 90 mg peppermint oil and 50 mg caraway oil daily for four weeks. The control group was treated with a placebo preparation. After four weeks, the patients treated with the oils were much better off.
Chilli releases pain
Anyone who has ever bitten into a raw chilli, knows the effect: The substance Capsaicin, which gives the more than 7000 different types of peppers their sharpness, triggers sweating and hot flashes. That you like to eat hot in warm areas like Thailand or Mexico, is related to: Chili increases the body's heat output and helps to endure the heat better.
For example, chili is used medically for treating sore throats. Even the Aztecs treated wounds and painful areas in the mouth and throat with chilli stirred in honey. In this country, patches have also prevailed against muscle tension and acute back pain.
"The effect of the chilli active ingredient on the coagulation factors of the blood has also been intensively studied," reports Peter Schnabel - with an astounding result: The substance was equal in studies aspirin. That is, it can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease in certain patients.
Chili also stimulates the flow of saliva, protects the stomach lining, has an antibacterial effect and causes the body to release endorphins - the so-called happiness hormones.
The number of studies dealing with spices is impressive. However, many experimental studies are among them. That is, the effect of the substances was tested in the laboratory. You can not just transfer the results to humans like that. Only few subjects participated in some clinical trials and the effect was observed only for a short period of time. The results should be reviewed in larger long-term studies. And finally, many studies come from countries where the spices are grown. Of course they have a certain economic interest, Peter Schnabel points out.
Spices are therefore not to be seen as a tried and tested alternative to traditional medicines, but rather as a supplement, especially for serious illnesses. Anyone who wants to benefit from the effects, should also pay attention to one thing: Only if one eats the spice regularly, it can be effective in the body, explains Schnabel.
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