It's the bright yellow in mustard and the bitter, orange-colored foundation of many an Indian curry. But turmeric, the rhizome that finds it way into food either fresh or, more commonly, in dried, powdered form, has long had medicinal uses in India, where it's prized not just as a culinary spice but as an anti-inflammatory agent, among other things.
lt has been used to treat a wide range of medical conditions, from indigestion to arthritis to gallstones and even some forms of cancer.
Like many such traditional remedies, it has found its way to the West: Look under "C" - for curcumin, its active ingredient - in the health supplement aisle to find capsules touting the spice's beneficial effects.
Dr. Janet Funk, an associate professor of medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine and a member of the UA's BIO5 Institute, has been investigating those effects. Her research has shown that turmeric can help prevent osteoporosis (bone loss) and arthritis. More broadly, she has been studying a wide array of plants traditionally used as medicine.
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On Wednesday, she'll speak about the topic at a lecture sponsored by the Arizona Senior Academy.
"Natural Sources of Drugs in General and Turmeric in Particular" is free and open to the public.
It will be held at the Arizona Senior Academy building on the grounds of the Academy Village, an active adult community off Old Spanish Trail six miles south of the entrance to Saguaro National Park East.
Funk will discuss turmeric's traditional and folk-medicinal uses as well as the recent scientific research her UA team has been undertaking to understand how turmeric might help treat inflammatory diseases, including arthritis and stroke.
She also will discuss the use of plants by the pharmaceutical industry for drug development as well as the increasingly popular use of botanicals by consumers in their more natural form.
"Most people do not realize that the majority of pharmaceuticals are derived from natural products," she said.
If you go
What: Lecture by Dr. Janet Funk: "Natural Sources of Drugs in General and Turmeric in Particular"
When: 3:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Arizona Senior Academy building at Academy Village, 13715 E. Langtry Lane
Cost: Free
For more information: Call 647-0980
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