Indian Curry Leaf: Here are 8 Ways it Can Benefit You

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Curry leaves native to India is used for both medicinal and culinary purpose. They’re highly aromatic and give a unique citrus-like flavour to food. The scientific name of the plant is Murraya koenigii.

Curry leaves and curry powder, are they the same? No, however, they’re often mixed together to add strong flavour dishes, like curries, rice dishes, and dals.

Apart from being a multipurpose cooking herb, they offer an abundance of health benefits due to the beneficial plant compounds they contain.

In this article:

• Benefits
• How to use
• Conclusion

Here are 8 ways Indian curry leaves may benefit you:

1. May Have Anticancer Effects

Curry leaves contain compounds that have significant anticancer effects.

one test-tube study involving three curry extract samples from curry leaves grown in different locations in Malaysia found that they all exhibited powerful anticancer effects and inhibited the growth of an aggressive type of breast cancer.

Another test-tube study found that curry leaf extract altered the growth of two types of breast cancer cells, as well as decreased cell viability. The extract also induced breast cancer cell death.

In addition, curry leaf extract has been shown to be toxic to cervical cancer cells in test-tube research.

In a study of rats with breast cancer, oral administration of curry leaf extract reduced tumor growth and inhibited the spread of cancer cells to the lungs.

Also, test-tube studies indicate that an alkaloid compound in curry leaves called girinimbine induces colon cancer cell death.

As a result, researchers attribute these powerful anticancer effects to the antioxidants in curry leaves, including quercetin, catechin, rutin, and gallic acid in addition to girinimbine.

Well, it’s clear that curry leaves contain compounds that have the potential to fight certain cancer cells, however, specific human research on its effectiveness is needed.

2. Contain Compound That Protects Neurons

Some research has shown that curry leaves may help protect the health of your nervous system, including your brain.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disease characterized by loss of neurons and signs of oxidative stress.

Studies have demonstrated that curry leaves contain substances that may help protect against neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease.

A study in rats found that oral treatment with high doses of curry leaf extract improved levels of brain-protecting antioxidants, including glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GRD), and superoxide dismutase (SOD), in brain cells.

The extract also reduced the amount of oxidative damage in brain cells, as well as enzymes associated with Alzheimer’s disease progression.

Another study showed that oral treatment with curry leaf extract for 15 days improved memory scores in both young and aged mice with induced dementia.

Keep in mind that human research in this area is lacking, and more studies are needed before strong conclusions can be made.

3. May Have a Pain-Relieving Effect

Research in rodents has shown that oral administration of curry extract significantly reduces induced pain.

4. Has Anti-Inflammatory effects

Indian curry leaves contain a wide array of anti-inflammatory compounds, and animal research has shown that curry leaf extract can help reduce inflammation-related genes and proteins.

5. Offers Antibacterial effect

A test-tube study found that curry leaf extract inhibited the growth of potentially harmful bacteria, including Corynebacterium tuberculosis and Streptococcus pyogenes.

These benefits have also been demonstrated in test-tube and other animal research. Future research in humans is needed to confirm these potential benefits.

6. Rich in powerful plant compounds

Curry leaves are rich in protective plant chemicals, such as alkaloids, glycosides, and phenolic compounds, that give this aromatic herb potent health benefits.

Research has shown that curry leaves contain many compounds, including linalool, alpha-terpinene, myrcene, mahanimbine, caryophyllene, murrayanol, and alpha-pinene.

Many of these compounds function as antioxidants in your body. Antioxidants play an essential role in keeping your body healthy and free from disease.

Antioxidants hunt potentially harmful compounds known as free radicals and suppress oxidative stress, a condition that’s associated with chronic disease development.

Curry leaf extract has been shown to provide potent antioxidant effects in several studies.

For example, a study in rats demonstrated that oral treatment with antioxidant-rich curry leaf extracts protected against medication-induced stomach damage and reduced markers of oxidative stress, compared with a placebo group.

Other animal studies have shown that curry leaf extract may help protect against induced oxidative damage to the nervous system, heart, brain, and kidneys.

Keep in mind that human research on the antioxidant effects of curry leaves is lacking.

Nevertheless, there’s no doubt that curry leaves are packed with plant compounds that may help promote overall health by providing powerful antioxidant protection.

7. May Reduce Heart Disease Risk Fac tors

Risk factors like high cholesterol and triglyceride levels may increase your risk of developing heart disease. Adding curry leaves to your diet may help reduce some of these risk factors.

Some studies showed that consuming curry leaves may benefit heart health in several ways.

For example, animal studies have found that curry leaf extract may help reduce high cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Two-week study in rats with high-fat-diet-induced obesity showed that oral treatment with 136 mg of curry leaf extract per pound (300 mg per kg) of body weight per day significantly lowered cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

These results were linked to the high amount of an alkaloid called mahanimbine in the leaves.

In another 12-week study in rats on a high-fat diet, mahanimbine prevented diet-induced complications, such as high blood lipids, fat accumulation, inflammation, and oxidative stress — all of which may increase the risk of heart disease.

Other animal studies have also shown that curry leaf extract reduces cholesterol levels. (12Trusted Source).

Although these findings are promising, research in humans is lacking. For this reason, more studies are needed to confirm the potential benefit of curry leaves.

8. Good For Blood Sugar Control 

Animal research has demonstrated that curry leaf extract may help reduce high blood sugar levels and protect against symptoms related to diabetes, including nerve pain and kidney damage.

How to use Curry leaves in different dishes

This aromatic herb is very easy to add to any food of your choice.

The herb is popularly used in meat dishes, curries, and other traditional Indian recipes.

They’re sold fresh in some specialty stores but more commonly found in dried form in the spice section of grocery stores.

Curry leaves soften when cooked and is often sautéed in oil or butter before both the fat and cooked leaves are added to dishes.

You can use curry leaves in the kitchen in the following ways.

Sauté curry leaves in ghee at high heat and then add the ghee and softened curry leaves to any dish of your liking.

Infuse broths with curry leaves for a fresh flavor.

Combine fresh or dried curry leaves with other spices, such as red chili, turmeric, and cumin seeds, to make a flavorful seasoning blend.

Top any savory dish with diced or crumbled dried curry leaves for a pop of flavor.

Cook curry leaves in hot oil and then use the infused oil as a dip or topping for crusty bread.

Add curry leaves to chutneys and sauces.

Toss chopped curry leaves into savory baked good recipes like bread and crackers.

Although the ideas listed above are some common ways to use curry leaves, they’re highly versatile and can be used in many applications. Feel to experiment ok.

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Conclusion

Curry leaves native to India is used for both medicinal and culinary purpose. They’re highly aromatic and give a unique citrus-like flavour to food.

Apart from being a multipurpose cooking herb, they offer an abundance of health benefits due to the beneficial plant compounds they contain.

Some of these health benefits include:

• Anticancer Effects
• Protect Neurons
• Pain-Relieving Effect
• Fight inflammation
• Fight bacteria
• Rich in powerful plant compounds
• Reduce Heart Disease Risk Factors
• And may control blood sugar

Curry leaves are a versatile herb, so you can add them to any of your favourite diets either fresh or dried.

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