Turmeric powder has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine for its various medicinal properties, including as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic. Because of these purported effects, scientists have been studying the active ingredient in turmeric, curcumin. Reporting in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, University of Michigan researchers have discovered that molecules of curcumin can actually insert themselves into the membranes of our cells, thus making the membranes more stable. This may have effects on the way our cells respond to inflammation and infections. For now, the mechanism of action of curcumin, in its entirety, remains a mystery but we are one step closer because of this discovery.
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Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.