Turmeric has traditionally been used as an anti-septic, to heal wounds, to prevent inflammation and as an anti-oxidant. Used in a myriad of curries, turmeric is said to purify blood. Ongoing studies show turmeric to have important cancer fighting properties especially in breat, colon, prostate and skin cancer.
Until now, it was not known exactly how turmeric works. However last month, researchers at the University of Michigan revealed that molecules of turmeric insert themselves into cell membranes causing them to become more stable and better able to resist infection from microbes. 
According to the study " A combination of solid-state NMR and differential scanning calorimetry experiments shows curcumin has a strong effect on membrane structure at low concentrations. Curcumin inserts deep into the membrane in a transbilayer orientation, anchored by hydrogen bonding to the phosphate group of lipids in a manner analogous to cholesterol. Like cholesterol, curcumin induces segmental ordering in the membrane. Analysis of the concentration dependence of the order parameter profile derived from NMR results suggests curcumin forms higher order oligomeric structures in the membrane that span and likely thin the bilayer. Curcumin promotes the formation of the highly curved inverted hexagonal phase, which 
may influence exocytotic and membrane fusion processes within the cell. "
may influence exocytotic and membrane fusion processes within the cell. "Read more on Turmeric Benefits and properties
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