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Got Curcumin? What this ancient spice can do for your health

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Spices including turmeric

Recently, my father-in-law decided to make some pretty major changes in the health and wellness department. Among other things, he began to research and educate himself on the benefits of various antioxidants, including curcumin (he’s also loving pomegranate at the moment). Since he’s been raving about the benefits of curcumin lately, I decided to look into it myself.

Fun fact: curcumin is NOT a fancy way to say or spell “cumin.” It’s an entirely different spice. It’s turmeric. (Because why give something just one name, when it can give it two?)

After poring through various research studies, naturopath websites, and literature on this ultra-healing spice (seriously, though—why does it have two names?), I’ve come to the same conclusion as my very informative father-in-law: the vast health benefits that this old spice possesses are both outstanding and probably severely underestimated by the general population.

Also, for clarification purposes, it turns out that curcumin is actually the active compound in turmeric—and it gives it that bright yellow colour. So I guess they’re not exactly the same thing after all. Which makes sense.

So, question: if you knew what curcumin could do for you, would you consume more of it?

Curcumin is an ancient Indian herb that is used in curry powder, along with a variety of other spices. It has been shown to have a positive effect on many disorders and diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, colon cancer, multiple sclerosis, liver diseases, breast cancer, atherosclerosis, and cystic fibrosis.[1] It can also help with less severe medical conditions, such as hernias, hemorrhoids, arthritis, and chronic inflammation.[2]

Chronic inflammation has been said to be at the root of every disease out there, so let’s talk about curcumin’s role in reducing that, specifically. Because I come from a background in digestive health angst and subsequent repair, it’s chronic inflammation that interests me the most. For those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome, curcumin may be helpful in reducing intestinal inflammation and promote gut health through its antibacterial properties that it possesses. It has also been documented as having “significant regulatory effects on inflammatory mediators,”[3] and is thought to have anti-inflammatory effects in those exhibiting symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease.[4]

For those of us who have the unfortunate experience of suffering with chronic inflammation (including GI tract issues), curcumin could prove to be an inexpensive treatment, and would boast no side-effects. (Unlike pharmaceutical treatments and medicine.)

So, do you have to be unhealthy to reap the benefits of this spice? It appears not. One 2012 study concluded “that a low dose of a curcumin-lipid preparation can produce a variety of potentially health promoting effects in healthy middle aged people.”[5]

Because curcumin has been proven to be an “anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, immunostimulant, antiseptic, and antimutagenic”[6] agent, it has also been effective in the field of dentistry, in regards to being used as a “pit and fissure sealant, mouth wash, and subgingival irrigant in different preparations.”[7]

That’s amazing!

So, how do you get this spice into your body on a regular basis? I have to admit, I’m tempted to purchase empty capsules and just fill them myself with ground turmeric. But the spice can also be added to your food, smoothie, tea (I know one person who mixes it in hot water and drinks it like that every morning, like you would with lemon and cayenne), and more. Here’s a recipe for Turmeric Coffee.

Bottom line? Curcumin is definitely worth trying if you’re suffering from one of the ailments that I mentioned above, and even if you’re in the clear, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to be preventative, and begin consuming more of this on a weekly basis.

Happy Saturday!




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