by Dr. Bill Rawls
Last Updated 11/01/16
Turmeric has long been hailed as one of India’s most revered spices and medicinal herbs. With its natural bright yellow color, turmeric is the trademark spice of many Indian foods.
Turmeric may well be the reason that India has half the cancer rate as the United States and one of the lowest Alzheimer’s rate in the world.1
In recent years, the number of clinical studies on turmeric has increased exponentially, indicating benefits that South and East Asians have likely known for thousands of years: anti-inflammatory, brain health, joint mobility, anti-cancer, and even anti-aging benefits.
DID YOU KNOW?
Turmeric contains well researched medicinal compounds called curcuminoids. While curcumin is thought to be most potent of these naturally-occurring curcuminoids, it only comprises about 3% of turmeric2. Furthermore, curcumin is not easily absorbed by the body and new research is showing value in other turmeric phytonutrients beyond just curcuminoids.
Because of this, turmeric supplementation can be improved with use of a standardized extract of curcumin, such as CurcuWin Tumeric Extract and Acumin Turmeric Complex.
CurcuWin Turmeric Extract is 46-times more absorbable than standard curcumin and contains a minimum of 20% curcuminoids in the same profiles as is found naturally in turmeric root3. Acumin Turmeric Complex is standardized to 45-50% curcuminoids with 5-6 times greater bioavailability that standard turmeric plus a full complex of turmeric roots nutrients including polysaccharides, turmerin protein, turmerone oil, and dietary fiber4.
Benefits of Turmeric
1. Balance Inflammatory Responses
Turmeric offers powerful anti-inflammatory properties and has long been used for promoting healthy joints.5 A number of studies have shown promising results, including a study where turmeric extracts worked just as well as ibuprofen7. Curcumin has also been shown to balance the immune system’s inflammatory response6. To learn more about the immune response, see this blog post.
2. Memory and Cognitive Health
Curcumin has long been believed to help improve memory and cognitive function.
Recent studies have documented that curcumin may actually help increase levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a growth hormone that enables the brain’s neurons to multiply, divide and form new connections9.
In addition to turmeric supplementation, here are some additional tips to improve your memory.
3. Anti-Aging and Antioxidant Protection
Oxidative stress is one of the main factors behind aging and all disease processes. When the body produces energy, it uses highly reactive molecules called free radicals; the body is in constant need of antioxidants to neutralize free radicals and reduce oxidative damage.
Curcumin is a potent antioxidant that helps neutralize free radicals in the body11 and also supports the body’s natural production of antioxidant enzymes12. By blocking free radicals and boosting the body’s own antioxidant mechanisms, curcumin is a powerful protective force against oxidative stress.
4. Risk-Reducing Benefits
There have been a number of studies that show curcumin may play a role in reducing cancerous cell formation and multiplication13. Curcumin has been shown in studies to help reduce growth of new blood vessels in tumors and slow the spread of cancerous cells (metastasis) in the body.14, 15
Turmeric is a natural substance that has been safely used by humans for thousands of years with little to no side effects.
Dr. Rawls is a physician who overcame Lyme disease through natural herbal therapy. You can learn more about Lyme disease in Dr. Rawls’ new best selling book, Unlocking Lyme.
You can also learn about Dr. Rawls’ personal journey in overcoming Lyme disease and fibromyalgia in his popular blog post, My Chronic Lyme Journey.
REFERENCES
1. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3633300/
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17044766
3. http://omniactives.com/curcuwin
4. http://www.novelingredient.com/acumin/
5. http://www.bcm95.com/Clinical%20trials_1.html
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12676044
7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19678780
8. http://www.bcm95.com/Properties-Curcumin.html
9. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006899306027144
10. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322303001811
11. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17569207
12. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jat.1517/abstract
13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18462866
14. http://cancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/59/3/597.short
15. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2758121/