5. Turmeric
Also known as “saffron,” turmeric is a bright yellow spice commonly used in Indian dishes, such as curry. Turmeric also has a use as a dye, and it easily stains the fingers yellow during handling. This herb gets its potent anti-inflammatory properties from the compound, curcumin.
There are limited scientific studies on curcumin, and most of the research available is on animals or single cancer cells. However, the studies that do exist show that the compound has cancer-fighting properties that affect the growth and development of a wide variety of cancers, including breast, liver, pancreatic, and colorectal forms of the disease.
Unfortunately, turmeric only contains around 3-percent curcumin by volume, an ineffective dose that has minimal effect on the body. However, you can purchase curcumin supplements online that have much higher dosages.
Curcumin doesn’t absorb readily in the body without the presence of piperine, an extract from black pepper. Therefore, most curcumin supplements come fortified with piperine for maximum bioavailability.