Medical researchers in the U.S. have discovered that Turmeric, a key ingredient of Curry that gives the spicy Indian food its distinctive yellow color, has properties that can fight the dreaded Alzheimer’s disease.

Named after the German physician Alois Alzheimer, Alzheimer’s is a disease that attacks the brain and is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which gets worse over time and makes growing old a harrowing experience for many millions.

Alzheimer’s symptoms include forgetfulness, confusion, trouble with organizing and expressing thoughts, misplacing things, getting lost in familiar places and, personality and behavior changes.

A team of researchers including Milan Fiala and John Cashman have isolated bisdemethoxycurcumin, the active ingredient of curcuminoids, which is a natural substance found in turmeric root.

Bisdemethoxycurcumin may help boost the immune system in clearing amyloid beta, a peptide that forms the plaques found in Alzheimer’s disease.

With the help of blood samples from Alzheimer’s disease patients, researchers found that bisdemethoxycurcumin boosted immune cells called macrophages to clear amyloid beta, which clogs the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and kills brain cells.

Some five million Americans have Alzheimer’s.