Spices can ward off cancer?

At the Kabuki Baths in San Francisco last year, I treated myself to an Ayurvedic massage. Warm oil slowly drizzled onto my forehead for half an hour followed by a massage and then a bath in a blazing hot cedar bath in the corner of my private room.

Ayurveda is one of, if not the oldest healing science in the world. This "Science of Life" - distilled over 5,000 years in an oral tradition from accomplished Vedic masters in India, it has often been called the "Mother of all Healing." Some of the knowledge was captured in print (Sanskrit), but much of it has been lost. Many natural healing therapies and schools of thought were rooted in Ayurvedic learnings, i.e. Homeotherapy and Polarity Therapy.

After that unusual massage, I purchased my first book on the subject. In going through it, I came upon many concepts and suggested practices that seemed entirely intrinsic. I am compelled to learn much more on preventive measures and lifestyles focusing on maintaining a healthy mind and body.

One area that I find fascinating is Ayurvedic herbology. The incorporation of specific herbs and spices corresponding to one's dosha (individual constitution) is highly beneficial. See the links to the right for more on recent medical findings on the role of (Ayurvedic) spices such as turmeric and curcumin in helping kill cancer cells...