Curcumin, the chemical that gives turmeric its vivid yellow hue, produced significant improvements in mood, memory, and attention for people aged 50 to 90, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Let’s face it – there’s a reason turmeric makes it onto every list of healthy foods ever. The director of geriatric psychiatry at UCLA’s Longevity Center and the study’s first author, Dr. Gary Small, says, “Exactly how curcumin exerts its effects is not certain, but it may be due to its ability to reduce brain inflammation, which has been linked to both Alzheimer’s disease and major depression…”

Related: Increase your IQ with the Right Foods, Herbs, Vitamins

Why Is Turmeric So Awesome?

Curcumin has a multitude of health benefits. The herb is a powerful anti-inflammatory, but it also detoxes the liver, reduces negative effects of iron overload, increases antioxidant capacity in the body, regenerates brain cells and improves cognitive function, lowers heart disease risk, reduces depression, and combats premature aging. Other studies have also found curcumin to be effective in treating cancer, targeting tumor cells while leaving normal cells alone.

Related: How to Optimize Curcumin Absorption – With Golden Milk Tea Recipe

Bioavailability Matters

Curcumin helps the liver, but that organ also keeps the body from absorbing too much of it. With turmeric, the method of delivery is more important than how much of it you take. Just taking a supplement is not as effective as it could be. Luckily, there are a few ways around that.

The easiest way to absorb more curcumin is to eat it with black pepper. An alkaloid in black pepper, piperine, keeps the body from dumping what it believes to be excess curcumin. A small amount of piperine can increase curcumin absorption by 2,000 percent or more. The combination is also ridiculously easy to find or make, especially in curry spice mixes. Piperine and Bioperine are also good things to look for in a curcumin supplement. Look for a product with them to give your body a better chance of absorbing beneficial nutrients.

Related: Turmeric and Diabetes

Also a smart play? Beneficial fats. Curcumin doesn’t dissolve properly without fat. That makes it less likely to be absorbed into the bloodstream and distributed throughout the body. Popular, healthy options include coconut oil, ghee, avocado, and olive oil (though not for cooking at high temperatures).

Worth It

Recommendations to consume curcumin are firmly rooted in science. New studies like this one are readily available and becoming more frequent. But for practical applications, there is nothing like taking a page from traditions.

Related: How To Use Turmeric To Kill Cancer

Turmeric and curry are staples of cuisine in India. It’s regularly consumed with pepper in spice mixes and ghee, a healthy fat that lowers the risk of heart disease. Perhaps it is no surprise that older people in India have lower levels of Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline.

Sources:

• Curcumin improves memory and mood, new study says – University of California
• How to Optimize Curcumin Absorption – With Golden Milk Tea Recipe – Organic Lifestyle Magazine
• Curcumin and Cancer Cells: How Many Ways Can Curry Kill Tumor Cells Selectively? – NCBI

Every now and then we hear about a common food that contains amazing healing properties. Turmeric is a fine example. Although it is a spice that has been used in Asian medicine for thousands of years, its potential to cure disease has been largely ignored in the West. Now we are told it can be used to treat a whole list of ailments from diarrhea to diabetes, and scientific tests are beginning to back up these claims.

What is Turmeric?

The turmeric plant, a member of the Zingiberaceae or ginger family, is native to Southeast Asia. Like ginger, the rhizome, or root, is the source of the spice. The turmeric root looks much like ginger root except for its color. While ginger is white, turmeric is orange, so orange, it was used as a dye before it was used for medicinal purposes.

If you’ve never bought turmeric, you may not realize you’ve eaten it. Chances are, you have. It is the main spice in curries, the spice that gives curry powders an orange color.

Related: Foods, Vitamins, and Herbs That Kill Cancer

What Does Turmeric Contain That Aids in Healing?

Curcumin has been identified as turmeric’s source of healing properties. Curcumin is both an anti-inflammatory and a strong anti-oxidant. It prevents inflammation and reduces chronic inflammation. It has also been found to induce apoptosis (cell death) in cancer and pre-cancer cells.

What is Turmeric Used to Treat?

According to Web M.D., turmeric is used internally to treat the following:

• Arthritis
• Heartburn (dyspepsia)
• Joint pain
• Stomach pain
• Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
• Bypass surgery
• Hemorrhage
• Diarrhea
• Intestinal gas
• Stomach bloating
• Loss of appetite
• Jaundice
• Liver problems
• Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection
• Stomach ulcers
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Gallbladder disorders
• High cholesterol
• Lichen planus
• Skin inflammation from radiation treatment,
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Bronchitis
• Colds
• Lung infections
• Fibromyalgia
• Leprosy
• Fever
• Menstrual problems
• Itchy skin
• Recovery after surgery
• Cancers
• Depression
• Alzheimer’s disease
• Swelling in the middle layer of the eye (anterior uveitis)
• Water retention
• Worms
• Lupus
• Urinary bladder inflammation
• Kidney problems
• Soreness inside of the mouth and gum disease.
• Inflammatory bowel disease (used as an enema)
• Diabetes

And is used topically to treat:

• Pain
• Ringworm
• Sprains and swellings
• Bruising
• Leech bites
• Eye infections
• Acne
• Inflammatory skin conditions and skin sores
• Infected wounds

Related: What Causes Chronic Inflammation, and How To Stop It For Good

Turmeric and Diabetes

If you google turmeric or curcumin, you will find statements denouncing its benefits. It is common to find every alternative healthcare claim to be summarily dismissed. On the other hand, it doesn’t take much effort to find scholarly articles that show turmeric’s health benefits, such as the studies regarding turmeric and diabetes.

Studies have shown turmeric lowers blood sugar levels, repairs pancreas cells (even benefitting type I diabetics), reverses prediabetes, lowers cholesterol levels, reduces heart risks, protects kidneys, and reduces inflammation and oxidative stress caused by the disease.

Related: Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones

What is Diabetes?

When we eat, carbohydrates and sugars are broken down into glucose. The pancreas produces the hormone insulin, which allows glucose in the bloodstream to enter the cells. When this process is disrupted because the body cannot make enough insulin or can’t utilize the insulin it does make, high levels of glucose remain in the blood and the cells do not receive the glucose they need.

High blood sugar results in damage to blood vessels, to the kidneys, eyes, nerves, and other parts of the body. Healing and circulation may become impaired. Diabetes is also associated with high blood pressure and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

According to the American Diabetes Association, 30.3 million Americans or 9.4% of the population have diabetes; 1.25 million (4%) have type 1 diabetes. In 2015, diabetes was rated the 7^th leading cause of death in the United States.

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that is usually diagnosed in childhood or young adulthood. The body attacks and destroys the pancreatic cells that make insulin, leaving the pancreas unable to produce sufficient amounts of insulin, if any at all. The treatment for type 1 diabetes is lifelong insulin therapy – injected insulin – along with diet and exercise management.

Gestational Diabetes

Gestational diabetes occurs during pregnancy. It is believed that hormones from the placenta create insulin resistance, causing the mother to need as much as 3 times the usual amount of insulin. The CDC estimates gestation diabetes occurs in about 9.2% of pregnancies.

Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is also caused by insulin resistance. Since the cells don’t respond correctly to insulin, the pancreas overproduces insulin to compensate. Over time, the pancreas is unable to provide enough insulin.

Prediabetes

Prediabetes is diagnosed when blood sugar is abnormally high but not yet high enough to be considered diabetes. These elevated levels of blood sugar can still cause damage to the body.

Curcumin, Prediabetes, and Type 2 Diabetes

In a study conducted in 2012, 240 pre-diabetic patients were randomly chosen to receive either curcumin or placebo capsules. By the end of the 9-month study, 16.4% of the control group developed type 2 diabetes, while the subjects who received curcumin showed better overall function of the pancreatic cells, and not one patient developed diabetes.

A 2014 study that reviewed articles published from 1998 to 2013 in PubMed concluded that curcumin can reduce blood glucose levels, stimulate glucose uptake, stimulate insulin secretion, improve pancreatic cell function, and reduce insulin resistance.

Although most of the positive reports involve prediabetes and type 2 diabetes, some studies are also showing improvements in the pancreas tissue of patients with type I diabetes.

Related: How to Optimize Curcumin Absorption – With Golden Milk Tea Recipe

Warnings

There are a few warnings about regular or daily use of turmeric for medicinal purposes. Extreme amounts taken on a daily basis may cause problems with the liver. Keep in mind that turmeric really does work to reduce blood sugar levels. Do not use it medicinally along with medication to reduce blood sugar. The result may be hypoglycemia – low blood sugar.

For excellent detail regarding dosage and interactions, check out Turmeric Dosage for Diabetics. The entire site, Turmeric for Health, is filled with useful information, including recipes.

To learn more about healthy absorption of turmeric and a delicious way to consume it, read How To Optimize Curcumin Absorption – With Golden Milk Tea Recipe. To increase absorption of curcumin, always add a pinch of black pepper. There is evidence that garlic also increases absorption.

Conclusion

There is abundant evidence proving turmeric can prevent type 2 diabetes and aid in managing or reversing the disease. Remember, the smart way to manage or prevent late onset diabetes is through diet and exercise, not by simply adding supplements or medications to your daily routine. But turmeric can certainly be a healthy part of your diet plan as well as a supplemental aid, without the side effects of pharmaceuticals.

Recommended Reading:

• Holistic Guide to Healing the Endocrine System and Balancing Our Hormones
• Cinnamon – Ceylon Vs Cassia, Health Benefits, and Other Interesting Facts
• The Amazing Herbal Power of Ginger
• Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases
• Hypothyroidism – Natural Remedies, Causes, and How To Heal the Thyroid
• Total Nutrition – Make your own Homemade Multivitamin and Mineral Formula

Sources:

• Turmeric – Web M.D.
• Statistics About Diabetes – American Diabetes Association
• Curcumin Extract for Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes – Diabetes Care
• Anti-hyperglycemic and insulin sensitizer effects of turmeric and its principle constituent curcumin. – Int J Endocrinol Metab. 2014 Oct 1;12(4)
• Why All Diabetics Should Know About Turmeric – The Food Revolution Network
• 12 Benefits Of Turmeric In Diabetes – Turmeric for Health
• Turmeric Dosage For Diabetes – Turmeric for Health

You must have heard about several claims of “super foods” for quite some time, most of which are baseless. Turmeric stands out as one of the best super foods you can find. Turmeric is the brilliant yellow or orange powder commonly used as a spice that is derived from a plant called Curcuma longa. Turmeric has been used in Asia to treat various health problems for several centuries. In traditional medicine, turmeric was used for a wide array of conditions like menstrual cramps, aches and pains, colic, and jaundice. Let’s look at what makes turmeric a paleo.

It’s Natural

Turmeric is naturally extracted from the rhizome of the Curcuma longa plant, which has been cultivated for thousands of years in India, China, and other parts of the world. If not used fresh, the rhizomes from Curcuma plant are boiled for about 40 minutes and then dried in hot ovens. They are then ground into deep-yellow-orange powder to be used as spices, curries, or dyes.

Powerful Antioxidant

Studies that have been carried out on turmeric revolve around an active antioxidant called curcumin. Antioxidants help in the elimination of free radicals in the body, which are responsible for cell damage and illnesses.

Contains No Anti-Nutrients

Turmeric doesn’t contain compounds that interfere with the normal breakdown of food. In addition, it doesn’t interfere with the absorption of minerals and nutrients along the digestive system. Its great taste can indeed make meals enjoyable, which gives you an opportunity to explore various food sources with higher nutritional values.

Has Healing Effects

Turmeric has been used in India, China, and other countries in treating illnesses like diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and arthritis. Although more evidence is still required, there are claims that low, regular doses of turmeric are beneficial in cancer prevention. Unlike most anticancer agents that impair the immune system, curcumin has restorative abilities. Curcumin regulates cell function by disrupting its growth, which is a large factor in cancer development. It’s also suggested that people in India who rely on a traditional diet containing turmeric have lower bowel cancer rates.

Improves Brain Function

Previously, it was thought that neurons couldn’t divide and multiply after early childhood, but it’s been shown that it happens. Neurons have the ability to establish new connections as well as multiply and increase in number in certain areas of the brain. Curcumin promotes the production of growth hormone that functions in the brain, which reverses mental illnesses and age-related cognitive decline. It is also thought that it can boost your memory and make you smarter.

Improves Cardiovascular Health

Heart disease is the major global killer. Studies have shown that curcumin in turmeric can improve the function of the endothelium, which is the lining of the blood vessels. In one study, curcumin effect on preventing heart disease was equated to exercise, while another one shows it works as effectively as some medications. In short, curcumin has beneficial effects on factors that play a role in heart disease. It improves the function of endothelium and is a potent anti-inflammatory agent.

Uses of Turmeric

• Spice: Turmeric is commonly used as a spice in many dishes all over the world. Its use began in traditional Asian culinary dishes. It is also used in spicing homemade soap to improve its color while instilling benefits on the skin.

• Whitening teeth: While turmeric is renowned for its staining prowess, it is commonly used in teeth whitening. This is possible as it doesn’t come into contact with enamel long enough to change its color.

• Foundation customization: Adding a touch of turmeric to your tinted moisturizer can help you get a perfect glow that matches your skin tone. Turmeric is a common recipe used by women in face creams and body scrubs for a glowing skin.

• Stomach soothing: If you have a stomach that doesn’t behave, turmeric can help. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), you should take 500mg of specific turmeric extract twice daily to alleviate digestive issues.

Conclusion

Turmeric is a paleo that is extracted from a plant called Curcuma. Turmeric is commonly used as a spice in preparation of dishes. Curcumin is the main ingredient in turmeric that comes with many health benefits. Turmeric can be effective in treating and preventing inflammatory illnesses like arthritis. Studies are still underway to find the effects of turmeric on other diseases like heart disease and cancer.

Further Reading:

• Health Benefits of Spicing the Food with Turmeric  – Consumer Health Digest
• Why is Turmeric a Great Antioxidant? – Live Lighter

Sources:

• 10 Proven Health Benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin – Authority Nutrition
• Turmeric – WebMD

Turmeric is a bright yellow root with a tan skin that is typically used in Middle Eastern, Northern African, and Southeast Asian cuisine. Turmeric is one of the main ingredients in curry spice blends and it makes a great addition to soups, meats, salads, stir-frys, and more. It’s a very versatile herb that enhances the flavor of a great many dishes.

Curcuminoids are the beneficial compounds within turmeric. Specifically, curcumin, one of these specific compounds, is considered to be the most potent, medicinally powerful, cancer-killing component of turmeric. Curcumin helps to detoxify and rejuvenate the liver, reduces negative effects of iron overload (and this is important because iron with sweet wormwood is a powerful cancer killer, too), increases antioxidant capacity in the body, regenerates brain cells and improves cognitive function, reduces likelihood of and treats Alzheimer’s, is anti-inflammatory, reduces heart disease risk, reduces depression, and fights premature aging.

How does curcumin kill cancer? It literally kills cancer.

The Murderous Aspect Of Curcumin

The human body contains approximately 10-13 trillion cells. We replace these cells at the rate of approximately 100 to 130 billion each day. A tightly regulated, cell- suicide process known as programmed cell death or apoptosis destroys cells.

Cancer cells don’t suicide. They turn off the suicide genes.

Curcumin activates the death receptors through many different means, ways we are still learning. One of the more interesting ways is by activating enzymes that literally chop up the proteins within the cells. It is believed that one of the reasons cancer cells do not develop some sort of resistance to curcumin like they do with chemo drugs, is due to the fact that curcumin activates the cells death in so many different ways. We also don’t know exactly why curcumin doesn’t kill normal healthy cells, but it doesn’t. It seems to simply target the cells that were supposed to have already died.

Our bodies want to dispose of most of the curcumin we eat. Without help, our ability to absorb curcumin would be very low.

How to Increase the Bioavailability of Curcumin

The only problem with curcumin is that our liver, in an effort to prevent excessive drugs and supplements and such, inhibits most of the absorption of curcumin (a process called glucuronidation), which makes the compound much less effective than it could be. But there are ways to increase the body’s ability to absorb curcumin.

Mix Turmeric With Black Pepper

Piperine is the alkaloid responsible for the pungency of black pepper. This compound inhibits certain enzyme metabolism functions, which normally cause the disposal of what the body considers to be excess curcumin (this effect is not limited to curcumin, black pepper can increase the absorption of other supplements, too). Curcumin absorption increases up to 2,000% or more with just a small amount of piperine.

Consume Turmeric with Beneficial Fats

Curcumin is fat-soluble. Without fat, the compound doesn’t dissolve properly, and then curcumin has a tough time getting into the gut and being absorbed into the bloodstream and then into the cells that needs the compound.

Try consuming turmeric with healthy fats like avocado, olive oil, and coconut oil.

Eat Turmeric With Quercetin

Quercetin is a plant flavonoid that inhibits the enzyme that deactivates curcumin.

Foods High In Quercetin

Foods high in quercetin include red wine, red grapes, green tea, onions, apples, cranberries, blueberries, black plums, red leaf lettuce, raw kale, chicory greens, raw spinach, sweet peppers, snap beans and raw broccoli. The best whole food source of quercetin is capers.

Enhanced Golden Milk Tea Recipe

This is a new twist on an ancient way of experiencing the benefits of turmeric. Ideally, use all fresh, unadulterated herbs whenever available.

• 1 cup of warm Coconut Milk
• 1 ounce of turmeric juice, or 1 tablespoon of freshly grated turmeric (both should be with skin)
• 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
• 1 ounce of ginger juice or 1 tablespoon of freshly grated ginger (both should be with skin)
• 1 pinch of black pepper
• Pinch of cayenne pepper

Mix it all up and drink. For the drink to be warm, warm up the coconut milk only, but be careful not to cook the other ingredients. Add them in when the coconut milk is not too hot to drink so as to preserve enzymes and other fragile micronutrients.

I love this drink and do not feel the need to sweeten it (I prefer not to feed Candida). I have not tried adding quercetin into the mix, but I’m going to next time I make the drink. I’m thinking of either adding capers, which I think is going to taste really strange. I’ll drop a comment below when I try this addition and let you know what it tastes like.

Conclusion

For maximum potency and absorption, we recommend fresh, raw turmeric root with its skin, taken as mentioned above, as well as cooked turmeric with skin. Try juicing and using as a spice with meats, salads, and soups. Incorporate both into your healthy diet and you’ll get the most benefit. Also check out these recipes on Detox Cheap and Easy Without Fasting – Recipes Included and see Gluten, Candida, Leaky Gut Syndrome, and Autoimmune Diseases for more on how to eat optimally for health and healing.

Recommended Supplements:

• Curcumin 500 with Bioperine – Pure Encapsulations (Turmeric, black pepper, vitamin C)
• Shillington’s Liver/Gallbladder Formula (contains wormwood and supports the liver)
• MicroDefense – Pure Encapsulations (kills parasites, balances gut, contains wormwood)
• Reishi Extract – Host Defense
• Chaga Mushroom Extract – Host Defense

Further Reading:

• Cinnamon – Ceylon Vs Cassia, Health Benefits, and Other Interesting Facts
• Turmeric – Learn More About This Ayurvedic Herb
• The Health Benefits of the Curry Spice Blend
• Foods Vitamins and Herbs that Kill Cancer

Sources:

• Turmeric Kills Cancer Cells – Green Med Info
• The innate immune system condemns weak cells to their death – Medical Xpress
• Curcumin and Cancer Cells: How Many Ways Can Curry Kill Tumor Cells Selectively– NCBI
• Curry spice ‘kills cancer cells’ – BBC News
• Turmeric, Curcumin Shown to Prevent Numerous Cancers in Many Studies – Natural Society
• QuercetinFod Chart – Quercetin.com
• Black Pepper – Examine.com