Could Turmeric vanish bad memories?

Hello everyone,

Well, by now we know all the physical benefits Turmeric has on human health. Apparently it doesn’t end there, I found this  very interesting article on the Daily Mail by Sophie Freeman For Mailonline

Turmeric prevents fear being stored in the brain, scientists claim.

Scientists found that curcumin, a compound found in the root of the Indian spice, prevented new fear memories being stored in the brain. It also removed pre-existing fear memories.

Scientists hope findings will contribute to the development of treatments for psycological conditions such as post-traumatic stress. Curcumin, a bright-yellow compound found in the root of the Indian spice turmeric, prevented new fear memories being stored in the brain, and also removed pre-existing fear memories.

It is hoped that the findings will help develop treatments for people suffering with psychological disorders.

Psychologists from The City University of New York trained rats to become scared when they heard a particular sound. Scientists assumed the creatures were frightened when they froze.

Hours later, when the same sound was played to the rats, those who had been given ordinary food froze. Yet the rats fed the curcumin-rich diet didn’t freeze, suggesting their fearful memories had been erased.

Professor Glenn Schafe, who led the study, said: ‘This suggests that people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychological disorders that are characterised by fearful memories may benefit substantially from a curcumin-enriched diet’

Memories are formed in the brain as new connections between neurons.

They are initially fragile, but gradually stabilise in the brain as they are put into long-term storage – a process known as consolidation.

Here is more info more about Turmeric benefit to human health.

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The Spice Detective