According to a new research, adding a little turmeric in your food can help in delaying the liver damage, which ultimately leads to cirrhosis.

The researchers found that curcumin, which is one of the chief elements of the Indian spice turmeric, appears to postpone the liver damage that finally causes cirrhosis. The study came out in the journal Gut.

Curcumin gives turmeric its bright yellow color and has long been used in Indian Ayurvedic medicine to cure a broad range of gastrointestinal disorders.

It was found that it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that might be useful in fighting disease.

The research team intended to discover whether curcumin could delay the harm caused by progressive inflammatory conditions of the liver, as well as primary sclerosing cholangitis and primary biliary cirrhosis.

The results revealed that the curcumin diet considerably lowered bile duct blockage and controlled liver cell (hepatocyte) damage and scarring (fibrosis) by interfering with many chemical signaling pathways engaged in the inflammatory process.

The authors said that curcumin is a natural product that appears to target numerous different parts of the inflammatory process, and therefore might offer a very promising treatment in the upcoming time.