Turmeric is a hot item in the press and on the minds of health focused people. But what do we really know about it? Here are some basics:
- Turmeric is found in the rhizome part of the plant. It is related to ginger.
- Turmeric is a spice commonly used in south Asian and Indian cooking. It even gives curry it’s bright color.
- It has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years around the world
- Lately science has been catching up with ancient knowledge by showing the many helpful properties of turmeric.
- Most research has looked at the main active compound, curcumin, found in turmeric. Curcumin is at about a 3% concentration in turmeric making it difficult to get enough by using turmeric by itself. Curcumin is often extracted and packaged on its own for therapeutic purposes.
- While curcumin is the active compound in turmeric, it isn’t the only reason you want to use turmeric as a whole. The whole plant powder has more compounds that can benefit your body. Enjoying a combination of turmeric rich foods and curcumin supplements makes sure you get the most benefit possible.
- Curcumin needs some help for your body to absorb it, but the active compound piperine found in black pepper increases its absorption about 2000% percent. You can think of it like this; piperine is curcumin’s friend inside the exclusive club of your body. By being with piperine, curcumin gets welcomed in without having to stand in line!
- Curcumin is also fat soluble so is it best absorbed when you take it with a healthy, pepper rich, high fat meal.
- Turmeric and curcumin have been studied for their help with arthritis, inflammation, pain, skin, liver, heart, stomach, cancer and more.
Here are the top 5 reasons you want to give Turmeric a try.
- Curcumin has been shown to work as well as Ibuprofen in knee pain from arthritis. And an added bonus, the participants in the study reported less side effects from taking it over drugs.
- Curcumin may be linked with decreasing inflammation in the body. Inflammation has been associated with numerous medical conditions like metabolic syndrome, diabetes, obesity, autoimmune diseases and more
- Turmeric and curcumin can boost your immune system with their anti-oxidant, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. You might want to try eating, drinking and taking them during cold and flu season to help you stay well.
- Worried about your risk of chronic diseases like Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancer, diabetes and more? Turmeric has been shown to help prevent or treat all of these and more!
- Turmeric is powerful for the brain, depression and many other neurological challenges. It has been studied against Prozac with great results. It might even affect your memory.
As you can see, turmeric and curcumin can have a big impact on your health. But how do you actually include it in your life?
Turmeric and coconut milk are the perfect combination
Trying turmeric or turmeric powder is simple to do. You can include it in foods as a seasoning like curry or homemade salad dressing, add it to smoothies or other healthy beverages (did you catch my turmeric kombucha on Instagram?) and more. Here is one quick tip for drinking turmeric. To improve your body’s ability to use it, bring 1 teaspoon and 12oz of water to a boil and let it simmer for 5 minutes. Then cool and drink it. You could even create golden milk to enhance taste and help your body get the most out of it.
When you are taking curcumin, it is simple to take it as a supplement in a pill form. When you choose your supplement, look for piperine or a fat related delivery to benefit your body even more. I like this review of some of the top turmeric supplements if you are considering buying.
