But turmeric's benefits go beyond these traditional uses. According to ongoing research, the spice's active ingredient, curcumin, can be used to prevent cancer.

Many studies have shown that turmeric has anti-cancer effects and that it can help reduce the number and size of tumors.

According to a study conducted by researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Peking University and Zhejiang University, turmeric can target aggressive and lethal forms of cancer and leave noncancerous cells unharmed.

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

For the study, the researchers used biochemical, mouse cancer and cellular models to verify that curcumin can efficiently inhibit an enzyme known as dual-specificity tyrosine-regulated kinase 2 (DYRK2).