Turmeric-: Spice
In this post, I would like to take a closer look at turmeric I have dealt with the benefits of spices
for maintaining good health in a previous post https://healthandwellnessforboomers.com/spices-for-good-health-maintaining-good-health
I am very interested in this particular spice as I had chronic knee pain I had to be taking 500mg of naproxen as needed up to 3 times per day.
I started taking tumeric and the pain has subsided a lot and I am now to taking 1 tablet two or three times per week and to further cause me to be more interested in turmeric my son also developed bad knee pain and received some injections in his knees and some medication but found no relief so I gave him my turmeric tablets 3 per day and the pain got less severe until it has completely stopped.
In my research I found that turmeric has a lot of health benefits for everyone, It is a plant from the ginger family and is grown mostly in India and Asia and some other countries like Jamaica and Haiti
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turmeric it is ranked as a spice and in India, it is not only used in cooking but is also used as a dye.and was used by the ancient East Indians as medicine.
Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.
The curcumin content of turmeric is not that high. Studies of this spice have shown that using turmeric extracts that contain mostly curcumin would be very difficult to reach the levels needed for health benefits by just using the turmeric spice in your foods.
Therefore, if you want to experience the full effects, you need to take a supplement that contains significant amounts of curcumin.
Curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. It helps to consume black pepper with it, which contains piperine, a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin.
The best curcumin supplements contain piperine, substantially increasing their effectiveness.
Curcumin is also fat soluble, so it may be a good idea to take it with a fatty meal.
Curcumin Is a Natural Anti-Inflammatory Compound
As I was going through some information on Turmeric I found some information written by Kris Gunnars, BSc for Health line and I have shared some of them here.
Although Inflammation is incredibly important as It helps your body fight foreign invaders and also has a role in repairing the damage.
Without inflammation, pathogens like bacteria could easily take over your body and kill you so acute, short-term inflammation is beneficial, but it can become a major problem when it becomes chronic and inappropriately attacks your body’s own tissues.
Scientific studies now show that chronic, low-level inflammation plays a major role in almost every chronic, Western disease. This includes heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and various degenerative conditions
Therefore, anything that can help fight chronic inflammation is of potential importance in preventing and even treating these diseases.
Curcumin is strongly anti-inflammatory. In fact, it’s so powerful that it matches the effectiveness of some anti-inflammatory drugs, without the side effects
It also blocks the molecule that travels into the nuclei of your cells and turns on genes related to inflammation. NF-kB molecule is believed to play a major role in many chronic diseases
Curcumin is a potent antioxidant that not only neutralizes free radicals but also boosts the activity of your body’s own antioxidant enzymes
Depression and Alzheimer’s
Curcumin also helps with brain disorders like depressions and Alzheimer’s as it can increase the protein known as BDNF and this action may cause the delaying effect or even reversing many brain disease
Heart Disease
Curcumin may also help decreases the causes of heart disease by improving the lining of the blood vessels which is called endothelium.
Any dysfunction of the endothelial is one of the major drivers of heart disease as it involves the inability to regulate your blood pressure.
There are also some studies that suggest that curcumin is beneficial in the treatment of cancerous growth by killing some of these cells or reducing the size of these growths,
There is a lot of good to be derived from taking turmeric and it is suggested that taking about 500 milligrams of curcuminoids a day is a good wellness dose for keeping inflammation away and promoting gut health
As with all medication it is best to stick to the prescribed dose although turmeric does not usually cause significant side effects; however, some people can experience stomach upset, nausea, dizziness, or diarrhea.
It has been reported that person who took very high amounts of turmeric, over 1500 mg twice daily, experienced a dangerous abnormal heart rhythm It is unclear if turmeric was the actual cause of this side effect. I would, therefore, suggest avoid taking excessively large doses of turmeric.
Special Precautions & Warnings:
Consult your doctor before taking turmeric or any other non prescribed medication during Pregnancy and breast-feeding: turmeric is LIKELY SAFE when taken by mouth in amounts commonly found in food. However, turmeric is LIKELY UNSAFE when taken by mouth in medicinal amounts during pregnancy
There is a possibility that it might promote a menstrual period or stimulate the uterus, putting the pregnancy at risk.
Keep away from medicinal amounts of turmeric if you are pregnant. There is insufficient information to rate the safety of medicinal amounts of turmeric during breastfeeding. It is best not to use it.
Gallbladder problems:.
Do not use turmeric if you have gallstones or a bile duct obstruction. As turmeric can make gallbladder problems worse
Bleeding problems:
Because turmeric can slow blood clotting it is best not to take turmeric as this can increase the risk of bruising and bleeding in people with bleeding disorders.
Diabetes:
Curcumin, a chemical in turmeric, might decrease blood sugar in people with diabetes. So be sure to monitor your blood sugar levels as it might make blood sugar too low.
A stomach disorder called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): Turmeric can cause stomach upset in some people. It might make stomach problems such as GERD worse. Do not take turmeric if it worsens symptoms of GERD.
Turmeric contains a chemical called curcumin, which might act like the hormone estrogen. And might make hormone-sensitive conditions like breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids worse.
Some research shows that turmeric can reduce the effects of estrogen in some hormone-sensitive cancer cells. Therefore, turmeric might have beneficial effects on hormone-sensitive conditions. Until more is known, use cautiously if you have a condition that might be made worse by exposure to hormones.
Infertility:
Turmeric might lower testosterone levels and decrease sperm movement when taken by mouth by men. This might reduce fertility. Turmeric should be used cautiously by people trying to have a baby.
Turmeric should be used with caution with those who suffer from iron deficiency, Turmeric taken in high doses might prevent the absorption of iron.
Turmeric can also slow blood clotting.and can cause extra bleeding during and after surgery.
One should stop using turmeric at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
Conclusion
Turmeric and especially its most active compound cur cumin have many scientifically-proven health benefits, such as the potential to prevent heart disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer.
It’s a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant and may also help improve symptoms of depression and arthritis.
It’s recommended to find a product with Bio-Perine (the trademarked name for piperine), which is the substance that enhances cur cumin absorption by 2,000%.
Without this substance, most of the cur cumin just passes through your digestive tract.
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