Why You Need to Drink Turmeric

Turmeric, also known as the golden spice, has been used in East Indian dishes for centuries. The active compound in turmeric is curcumin, and it has a lot of health benefits. 

What is Turmeric?

Turmeric comes from the rhizome of the Curcuma longa (curcumin). On the outside, it resembles the ginger root, but the flesh is a deep yellow. Turmeric gives curry its yellow colour and spices up East Indian cuisine. Researchers are discovering that the curcumin in turmeric has some powerful medicinal properties.

Benefits of Turmeric

There are several benefits associated with drinking turmeric daily such as anti-inflammatory benefits, improving cognitive function and antioxidant properties.

Anti-inflammatory

Curcumin has the unique ability to reduce pain and inflammation caused by arthritis. It may also help lower chronic inflammation that is associated with ageing and disease. Studies have found that curcumin can help the immune system repair tissue damage. Turmeric may even be as effective as NSAIDs for pain and inflammation reduction.

Cognitive function

The brain produces a hormone called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). A reduction in the BDNF hormone has been linked to Alzheimer’s. Turmeric may help boost the production of BDNF! Not only does this help form more neurotransmitters, but it also protects the brain from disease.

Antioxidant

Oxidative damage is associated with ageing and chronic conditions. Curcumin is high in antioxidants and can help fight oxidative damage by protecting your body from free radicals that cause damage to your cells.

How to enhance Turmeric’s benefits and absorption:

Curcumin only makes up about 2-5% of turmeric, so other than consuming a large amount of turmeric (say 8 tea spoons per serve) which is extremely difficult, there are 3 simple ways you can enhance the benefits and absorption of turmeric into your body:

1. Add black pepper. The active ingredient of black pepper - piperine helps inhibit drug metabolism. So in the case of turmeric, adding piperine helps ensure the curcumin is not excreted easily from the body - making it more bioavailable to further enhance its benefits.
2. Consume turmeric with a good source of fats (such as milk, yogurt, avocado, nut butters and nuts, etc.) and therefore curcumin will directly be absorbed into the blood stream and bypass the liver. Also liquids absorb faster into the body than powders or capsules.
3. Choose a higher concentrated extract of curcumin over standard turmeric power (which only contains 2-5% of the active curcumin). The highest concentration available is called a 95% standardised Curcumin, meaning the whole turmeric root is processed until 95% of what's left is Curcumin and the other 5% is other compounds found in Turmeric.

How to Drink Turmeric

There are a few ways to consume turmeric, such as through a concentrated tonic for its therapeutic benefits, or pure powder containing or adding in pepper. One of the most popular concoctions for turmeric is called golden milk. Golden milk is simply the turmeric tonic or powder added to regular or nut milk. You can drink it cold or warm, whatever your preference.

Natural Remedy's highly concentrated liquid Turmeric Tonic blended with mango and orange for a pleasant fresh flavour, with the warming properties of liquorice, ginger, cinnamon and black pepper to help boost the bioavailability of curcumin. This Turmeric Tonic contains 95% standardised Curcumin and the black pepper boosts Turmeric absorption by up to 2000%. Just 1 serve (20ml) is equivalent to 9 tsp of standard turmeric powder! This tonic is a concentrate, it contains 25 serves per bottle. 

Researchers are beginning to see turmeric as a potent natural medicine. Its natural properties can help you stay young and feel your absolute best!

 

Referenced Studies

Anti-Inflammatory

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19594223/

Brain Function

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006899306027144

Antioxidant Properties

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17569207/