Did you know that according to the Clinical Journal of Pharmacy and Therapeutics Turmeric appears to be a possible candidate as a stand-alone analgesic or used in combination to reduce pharmaceutical use? A review of the research on curcumin in the Journal Advanced Biomedical Research found that curcumin possesses anti-inflammatory activity.
Inflammation has been linked to the top killers around the world. In a previous newsletter I wrote about a study that showed regardless of the amount of cholesterol and fats in your blood stream if you lowered inflammation your risk of heart disease goes down. It is also linked to cancer and cognitive decline conditions such as Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties extend its therapeutic effects to a broad range of diseases or conditions. Some of the conditions that turmeric has been shown to have beneficial effects are:
•Asthma
•Bronchitis
•Malaria
•Hypertension
•Obesity
•Liver problems
Just as an apple has water, fructose (fruit sugar), fiber, vitamins and lots of other molecules in it, turmeric also has other ingredients. One of the most active ingredients in turmeric is curcumin. If you are looking for supplements you will probably find both turmeric and curcumin so do not buy both. One of the problems of turmeric is it is poorly absorbed.
Three ways to improve the absorption of turmeric:
1.Add turmeric to a meal with fat, because the fat enhances the absorption. The liver typically blocks the absorption but the fat helps the turmeric to bypass the liver.
2.Take turmeric with pepper, because a molecule in pepper called piperine can also prevent the liver from excreting the turmeric. According to nutritionfacts.com 1/20th of a teaspoon of pepper can increase bioavailability by 2000%!
3.Take turmeric in its whole or powdered form rather than just curcumin because the natural oils in the turmeric root also aid in the absorption.
Look for creative ways to add turmeric to your current diet, for example add them to scrambled eggs with a pinch of pepper. There are lots of recipes that use turmeric, so a little hunting and creativity can add this valuable addition to your diet. For more information on an anti-inflammatory diet download my e-book The Five Most Effective Ways To Treat Chronic Lower Back Pain.