Eating curry containing turmeric once or twice a week could prevent Alzheimer's disease and many researchers are investigating if it can be used as a treatment in those who already have it.
Professor Murali Doraiswamy told delegates at the Royal College of Psychiatrists' Annual Meeting in Liverpool that brain plaques dissolved in mice given high doses of curcumin and in younger mice, the spice appeared to prevent them forming in the first place.
Trials are currently under way that could lead to a curry pill, he said.
Professor Doraiswamy said: "There is very solid evidence that curcumin binds to plaques, and basic reserach on animals engineered to produce human amyloid plaques has shown benefits. Turmeric has been studied not just in Alzheimer's research but for a variety of conditions, such as cancer and arthritis. Turmeric is often referred to as the spice of life in ancient Indian medical lore."