Turmeric, used to make Indian curry, not only lowers your chances of getting cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, but may reduce the size of a hemorrhagic stroke. Research at the Medical College of Georgia shows that curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric, reduces the size of brain-damaging blood clots.

"We found that curcumin significantly decreases the size of a blood clot, but we’re not sure why it happens," says researcher Jay McCracken.

If you have a stroke, these scientists believe that receiving curcumin intravenously can produce substantial benefits. And a growing collection of studies show that including turmeric in your daily diet may help prevent strokes.