Turmeric – The Healing Super Herb of Our Planet
Description:
It has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb. Recently, science has started to back up what the Indians have known for a long time… it really does contain compounds with medicinal properties. These compounds are called curcuminoids, the most important of which is curcumin. Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant. However, the curcumin content of turmeric is not that high… it’s around 3%, by weight. Most of the studies on this herb are using turmeric extracts that contain mostly curcumin itself, with dosages usually exceeding 1 gram per day. It would be very difficult to reach these levels just using the turmeric spice in your foods. Therefore, if you want to experience the full effects, then you need to take an extract that contains significant amounts of curcumin. Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. It helps to consume black pepper with it, which contains piperine… a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2000%. I personally prefer to swallow a few whole peppercorns along with my curcumin supplement, in order to enhance absorption. Curcumin is also fat soluble, so it may be a good idea to take it with a fatty meal.
- Turmeric Contains Bioactive Compounds With Powerful Medicinal Properties
- Curcumin is a Natural Anti-Inflammatory Compound
- Turmeric Dramatically Increases The Antioxidant Capacity of The Body
- Curcumin Boosts Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Linked to Improved Brain Function and a Lower Risk of Brain Diseases
- Curcumin Leads to Various Improvements That Should Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease
- Turmeric Can Help Prevent (And Perhaps Even Treat) Cancer
- Curcumin May be Useful in Preventing and Treating Alzheimer’s Disease
- Arthritis Patients Respond Very Well to Curcumin Supplementation
- Studies Show That Curcumin Has Incredible Benefits Against Depression
- Curcumin May Help Delay Aging and Fight Age-Related Chronic Diseases
Turmeric contains curcumin, a substance with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Most studies used turmeric extracts that are standardized to include large amounts of curcumin.
Chronic inflammation is known to be a contributor to many common Western diseases. Curcumin can inhibit many molecules known to play major roles in inflammation.
Curcumin has powerful antioxidant effects. It neutralises free radicals on its own, then stimulates the body’s own antioxidant enzymes.
Curcumin boosts levels of the brain hormone BDNF, which increases the growth of new neurons and fights various degenerative processes in the brain.
Curcumin has beneficial effects on several factors known to play a role in heart disease. It improves the function of the endothelium and is a potent anti-inflammatory agent and antioxidant.
Curcumin leads to several changes on the molecular level that may help prevent and perhaps even treat cancer.
Curcumin can cross the blood-brain barrier and has been shown to lead to various improvements in the pathological process of Alzheimer’s disease.
Arthritis is a common disorder characterized by joint inflammation. Many studies show that curcumin can help treat symptoms of arthritis and is in some cases more effective than anti-inflammatory drugs.
A study in 60 depressed patients showed that curcumin was as effective as prozac in alleviating the symptoms of depression.
If curcumin can really help prevent heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s… then this would have obvious benefits for longevity. For this reason, curcumin has become very popular as an anti-aging supplement. However, given that oxidation and inflammation are believed to play a role in aging, curcumin may have effects that go way beyond just prevention of disease.