(NaturalHealth365) Nearly all health experts and researchers agree that turmeric is a wonder spice with myriad healing properties – thousands of studies (and counting) have revealed its ability to prevent and treat over 600 different diseases and ailments.

In fact, researchers have been pleasantly surprised to find that turmeric effects the body in 175 unique ways – as an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant, an endocrine modulator, a neuroprotectant, an anti-cancer agent, and a natural antibiotic, just to name a few of its most popular mechanisms.

The most powerful health benefits of turmeric revealed

The wide-ranging therapeutic potential of turmeric has been known and implemented for thousands of years by practitioners of systems of medicine such as Ayurveda. In fact, the Hindi word for turmeric, “haldi,” literally means healthy.

Now that modern medicine has finally caught up, the next question for researchers is clear: how does turmeric compare with Western medicine’s beloved pharmaceuticals and OTC drugs?  All emerging research points to one conclusion: turmeric meets or exceeds the efficacy of leading drugs in nearly every class of treatment, without side effects or other risks.

The following list outlines some of the drug classes to which researchers have compared turmeric. Take a look, and see if turmeric can help you achieve your health goals (chances are it can).

Anti-inflammatories: Turmeric could be called one of the world’s most perfect anti-inflammatories. Most anti-inflammatory substances thwart inflammation in one of the following ways: by neutralizing the free radicals that cause inflammation (most “anti-inflammatory” foods work their magic through this antioxidant activity), or by stopping the endogenous production inflammatory chemicals (this is how ibuprofen, aspirin, and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID’s) work). Turmeric accomplishes both of these tasks at once, so its inflammation-fighting power is uniquely effective and long-lasting.

This two-sided approach allows turmeric to give the immune system an antioxidant boost while curbing inflammation. The same can’t be said for NSAID’s, which can sometimes hamper immune function by inhibiting the release of inflammatory chemicals (inflammation is, after all, an immune response).

These drugs can also cause ulcers, bleeding in the stomach and intestines, and other related gastrointestinal issues – particularly with long-term use. Turmeric carries no side effects whatsoever, and its health benefits as a high-level adaptogen only become more and more pronounced with long-term use. And because a 2014 study demonstrated that turmeric works just as well as (or better than) ibuprofen at relieving aches, pains, and other effects of inflammation, choosing it over NSAID’s is a no-brainer.

Diabetes and glucose drugs: One of the reasons that pharmaceutical methods of treating diabetes have been so unsuccessful is because of their limited approach – nearly all diabetes drugs target one (or at most, a few) of the primary symptoms of diabetes, without actually addressing underlying causes.

Turmeric tackles both at once. Its incredible anti-inflammatory and antioxidant qualities – thanks in large part to curcumin – quell the systemic inflammation of oxidative stress that often creates disastrous complications for diabetics. And according to a 2009 study, curcumin works 400 times better than Metformin for both increasing glucose sensitivity.

Drugs for depression and other mood disorders: Antidepressants are drugs with notoriously inconsistent results. New studies even suggest that the pharmaceutical industry’s theory about the mechanism of depression is almost wholly incorrect, which leads many to believe that antidepressants have been barking up the wrong tree for some time. Most worrying of all, antidepressants seem to increase the risk of relapsing into depression later – “depression” is literally listed right on the package insert as one of the potential side effects of Prozac.

A study published in Phytotherapy Research pitted Prozac against a daily turmeric regimen, and you can probably already guess what they discovered: turmeric was just as effective at managing depression, and not a single patient taking turmeric complained of side effects.

But not all forms of turmeric are created equal

Whether you’re treating a condition with one of the medications listed above, or just searching for ways to optimize your health, turmeric is always a wise choice. After all, the list above indicates a mere sampling of the ailments turmeric can help heal.

When using turmeric therapeutically, though, regular powdered turmeric from your spice cabinet won’t do, because it’s very difficult for your body to absorb an effective dose of turmeric alkaloids when it’s in this form.

Even most store-bought turmeric supplements are poorly absorbed by your body, and you may be excreting them in urine before they can provide any benefit. Therefore, The best turmeric products deal with this issue by using something called “liposomes.”

Liposomes are little protection systems designed to protect and delivery turmeric straight into the bloodstream. They’re formed when turmeric alkaloids are combined with phospholipids, thereby wrapping the molecules with a fatty membrane that protects the nutrients from oxidation and degradation.

Editor’s note: Click here to learn more about the most potent form of liposomal turmeric on the market.

And, yes, if you decide to purchase a bottle – this does help to support our operations (here at NaturalHealth365) – at no extra cost to you.