Turmeric Shows Major Promise in Defeating Mega VirusesLisa Garber Lead investigator, Aarthi Narayanan of Masons National Center for Biodefense and Infectious Diseases, says she knows the benefits of turmeric first-hand. I eat it every day. I make it a point of adding it to vegetables I cook. Every single day. Shes so passionate about turmerics benefits that shes even bringing it under the microscope with alphaviruses like Venezuelan equine encephalitis and retroviruses like HIV. It is often not taken seriously because its a spice, she adds. She believes that curcumin may soon be part of drug therapies that fight powerful viruses. Turmeric is Not Just a Spice Turmeric and curcumin, one beneficial active compound found in turmeric, have also been shown to exhibit a number of other positive effects. Turmeric has been linked to the reduction of cancerous tumors by a whopping 81 percent, prevention and treatment of diabetes, protection of the liver, easing of osteoarthritic pain and stiffness, and can aid in preventing chronic diseases like Alzheimers disease. Additional Sources: Cancer.gov Explore More: 