Turmeric The Golden Spice To Life, is an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant, two things people with diabetes badly need, not just a Yellow-Orange spice you see in Curries.
More to Turmeric than a flavour or Colouring
It is one of the key spices used in many countries such as India, Pakistan, the Middle East, and South East Asia, to name a few.
For thousands of years, Turmeric has been an essential element, from enhancing many dishes such as curries and rice to boosting the colour of cakes, and mustards, and even used in dying clothes.
However, there is more to Turmeric than using it as a flavoring or coloring to a dish or dye.
Places like India, Sri Lanka, and Asia, for example, have long known for thousands of years that Turmeric The Golden Spice To Life.
Turmeric The Golden Spice to Life
What is so special about Turmeric?
Turmeric’s powder form (as we generally see when purchased in stores/ markets) occurs by grinding the dried root (Curcuma Longa Plant).
Within Turmeric are compounds, one of which is called Curcumin which has become an important factor in aiding many ailments.
Turmeric has been in use for centuries by Indian Ayurvedic healers among other older civilizations.
Science is finding out more about Turmeric’s many healing benefits and its main compound Curcumin than ever before.
Through research, Curcumin has been shown to have potent anti-inflammatory properties along with being a powerful antioxidant.
Before you start adding extra turmeric to your foods, there is one part that is important to know first about Curcumin even before learning about all those health benefits of Turmeric.
Supercharge your gut
When you blend Turmeric, Spices, and Diatomaceous Earth, your gut not only gets the benefits of iron, which is great for preventing fatigue and tiredness, but it’s important to have good brain function and health. This golden gut powder, which is organic, will help give you a healthy pH function of 8, which helps keep that healthy alkaline balance needed within the body.
Here is one such sample from Nourished Life, which can be shipped internationally
Supercharged Food Golden Gut Powder
Curcumin is Fat-Soluble with Low Bioactivity
Huh?
Ok, let’s break down each in simple terms using vitamins as an example.
Water-soluble vitamins are those that are not stored in the body.
For example, vitamin C, along with all the vitamins B.
When they are taken orally, they dissolve in water, which then heads toward the bloodstream.
The body takes what it needs while the excess is excreted in the urine.
This is why you will find when going to the bathroom; your urine will be a different color mainly due to the excess vitamins the body is releasing.
Just beware the colour change can also be other factors as well and not just excess vitamins.
Fat-Soluble Vitamins
These can be your Vitamins A, D, E, and K are normally stored in the body.
When these vitamins are ingested, they dissolve in fat, and these are stored in your liver.
They do not need to be replaced each day as you would with the water-soluble ones.
Bioavailability
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Below is the definition from Wikipedia.
“In pharmacology, bioavailability (BA) is a subcategory of absorption and is the fraction of an administered dose of unchanged drug that reaches the systemic circulation, one of the principal pharmacokinetic properties of drugs.
By definition, when a medication is administered intravenously, its bioavailability is 100%.[1]
However, when a medication is administered via other routes (such as orally), its bioavailability generallyTH[›] decreases (due to incomplete absorption and first-pass metabolism) or may vary from patient to patient.
Bioavailability is one of the essential tools in pharmacokinetics, as bioavailability must be considered when calculating dosages for non-intravenous routes of administration.
For dietary supplements, herbs, and other nutrients in which the route of administration is nearly always oral, bioavailability generally designates simply the quantity or fraction of the
the ingested dose that is absorbed”.
Layman’s Terms?
This is about how much can be absorbed into the body. As it states above, if it’s directly injected into the bloodstream is has 100% Bioavailability.
If taken orally, then the percentage of Bioavailability will be lower depending on what has been taken.
OK, Back to Curcumin being Fat-Soluble and having Low Bioavailability.
Curcumin is Fat-Soluble and, as such, is best when dissolved in Fats.
For example, if taken alone, mixed with water, or added to something with no fat, most will go to the gastrointestinal tract and be expelled shortly after being ingested.
Some may end up getting into the bloodstream, but most will be lost.
This is why Curcumin has low bioavailability when not taken and ingested with fats.
There are stages when taken orally that Curcumin needs to go through.
Therefore, if fat is not included with Curcumin, as a fat-soluble, it will have difficulties in being absorbed into the bloodstream for it to work its magic.
As curcumin is fat-soluble, it needs to go through certain stages when taken orally to break down.
You Shall Not Pass
Perhaps the Balrog in The Lord of the Rings did not pass because of Gandalf.
The process for curcumin is tough as well, as it has to pass through its own fire of doom.
Because Curcumin is fat-soluble, it needs to dissolve in fat, which will also help its bioavailability. As the body is mostly comprised of water, it has a difficult time.
As the body is mostly comprised of water, it has a difficult time because it is not water-soluble.
First, it must pass through the stomach; once that trial is over, what has survived then needs to go through the small intestines passageways when it normally would pass into the bloodstream when it finds its home, usually in the Liver.
However, as it gets into the Lymphatic system, it will also be transported within the body where it is needed most, for example, the brain.
The Curcumin has difficulty breaking down to pass through the cells.
A small amount may pass through, but this requires ingesting larger Turmeric amounts for this to happen. That can be a bit dangerous if too much is taken.
Those that do not get through will find the exit far quicker via another passageway, never to return.
You could say it literally gets flushed down the toilet.
Fat can be your friend.
This does not mean you should forget about taking Turmeric, as there are great ways around this issue for the Curcumin to pass easily without a struggle.
As already stated, Curcumin is fat-soluble, so you need to take it with a bit of fat.
Do not worry about weight issues; you are not taking large amounts of fats.
When you normally have curry foods, the curcumin works well because some oil is used in the cooking process.
Here you can add extra Turmeric to the curry to gain that extra boost with the health benefits. When added to food, the quantity is not an issue as the oil breaks down this quickly. (More on the healing and health benefits at a bit later).
Oil works well with Curcumin.
Two of the best oils to use, not just for Turmeric but in other areas, are Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Coconut oil.
You will find two of the best and most recommended ones below.
Other methods that are helpful in dissolving the Curcumin
With turmeric, you do not have to live on a Curry diet to get the extra benefits.
Here are some extra ideas to get you started; you may even have or come up with ideas of your own.
• You could add a bit with some oil or, better still, Kirkland Signature Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil when making a salad or toss it in some vegetables and have a vegetable snack.
• We know that Avocado has fats, but they are also good fats. As you sprinkle some Turmeric on the Avocado (If available, preferably the Organic type), the fat here will help dissolve the Curcumin and work well to get this into the bloodstream without the struggle mention further up in passing through the stages.
Coconut oil is great for many things, in particular, the organic type, as displayed below.
You can add a bit of the organic Coconut Oil along with a spoonful of Turmeric and place this into a smoothie or even when juicing vegetables.
Remember mixing the Turmeric/Curcumin with Coconut oil allows it to be dissolved even in a smoothie or juice.
An even simpler way
An even simpler way is to boost Turmeric’s effectiveness, and its property Curcumin is to add some Black Pepper.
Black Pepper has property within called Piperine and by using this method together with Curcumin.
Piperine enhances Curcumin’s bioavailability by 2000% rather than using just Curcumin on its own.
Source on Black Pepper: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9619120
Therefore, when you look at it in this way, fats are your friends.
In today’s Age
The best method of using turmeric is to add it to your foods and the other methods mentioned above.
However, to absorb the Curcumin component of Turmeric easily, it may need a touch of extra effort.
As we know, in today’s age and society, not everyone can find the time to enjoy spending enjoyable moments at home cooking or for some may have difficulty doing so for whatever reason.
While others are always in a rush and, unfortunately, have difficulty finding time to relax and enjoy life.
Some may not like Curries or Avocadoes; therefore, they may stop getting better health benefits from Turmeric.
No problems, there is a solution.
Like many people would prefer to have supplements such as vitamins and minerals, so is the availability to have Turmeric in Capsule form.
But not just any capsule.
It would be pointless to take a Turmeric Capsule that contains higher doses of Curcumin on its own.
In this case, what is important is to take the Capsules that have Black Pepper included, as the benefits are in their highest form as described earlier above.
I found a great supplement on Amazon with some research that has both qualities and the greatest benefit for you.
Added Benefit
This supplement displayed below has gone one better than the others as it is also GMO-Free as well.
Here you can buy the supplement with the vital combination of both Turmeric/Curcumin along with Black Pepper.
Healing and Health Benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin
Now that we have discussed the importance of taking Turmeric, let’s now look at some of the other health and healing benefits available.
Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic Healers have used turmeric to treat many disorders for centuries.
Ancient Egyptian used Turmeric for the same benefits of healing and health.
Many conditions were treated, such as diarrhea, heartburn, infected wounds, and ringworm issues, when they applied Turmeric to the skin.
Modern science is still going through and finding many more benefits of Turmeric and its compound Curcumin; some may need more time. Other reports have found that turmeric has tremendous benefits, as described below.
Arthritis
The anti-inflammatory properties have been found to have great anti-arthritis effects for many people living with arthritis.
One method suggested that those who have rheumatoid arthritis have perhaps an anti-arthritis turmeric tea instead of a normal daily coffee.
The ingredients are simple, which I have added below.
Remember:
Turmeric powder can stain many things when it comes in contact with, for example, hands, clothing, etc., so do not rush.
Ingredients
• 1 cup of water
• 1 teaspoon pure turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon honey
Directions
• Mix a paste of the Turmeric powder with the honey to get that wonderful Yellow-Golden consistency.
• Pour hot water into the cup, and stir well to dissolve the turmeric paste into the liquid.
• Allow the tea to cool down, and drink your anti-arthritis turmeric tea and enjoy.
Skin such as Acne and Psoriasis
Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties help reduce any redness from blemishes and disinfect the skin with antibacterial properties when working on Acne.
Skin conditions such as Acne and Psoriasis have benefited from the use of Turmeric.
As an Antioxidant, Turmeric helps to keep free radicals, which may cause premature aging.
It works well for those with oily skin.
Through regular use, a vast improvement in the quality of your skin may be noticed.
Alzheimer’s disease
Amyloid plaques in the brain help to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.
Beta-Amyloid is a protein fragment normally produced within the brain.
Within a healthy brain, they are usually broken down and eliminated.
However, in Alzheimer’s disease, rather than be broken down then eliminated, they accumulate and form hard, insoluble plaques.
As these plaques accumulate between nerve cells, it causes degradation that leads to Alzheimer’s disease symptoms.
Researchers believe that the antioxidant, together with Curcumin’s anti-inflammatory properties, can break down the plaques.
The reason for this belief is that as the blood vessels become less clogged, it would allow certain sections of the brain to obtain oxygen much easier, thereby allowing better brain functioning.
Cancer prevention
In his book, The 150 Healthiest Foods On Earth, a nutritionist named Jonny Bowden stated that there are at least 30 odd studies that show curcumin has an anti-tumour effect.
I quote “either reducing the number or size of tumours or the percentage of animals who developed them.”
A study has also found that when a combination is made with vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower, it can treat and help prevent prostate cancer.
This is the third most common cause of cancer death in men in Australia and the most common cancer diagnosed.
About 85% of the cases diagnosed in men were over 65 years; however, that is not to say it doesn’t happen earlier.
In the USA, there are about 240,000 men diagnosed each year with prostate cancer.
More vital studies are needed.
Heart Attacks and Strokes
Curcumin’s benefits positively affect Cholesterol, which may help lower cholesterol and prevent bad cholesterol (LDL) from building up in the blood vessels.
Cholesterol, when it builds up in the arteries, tends to create a blockage; in turn, this restricts or stops the blood from flowing through the arteries.
As the build-up blocks blood flow, it creates issues that most likely result in having heart attacks and/or strokes.
Trust me, been there done that.
Helps with weight loss
Curcumin causes weight loss, but instead, it stimulates the gallbladder, which then produces bile.
The bile helps to digest fat, which again improves digestion, thus helping control weight more effectively.
It also helps with gas and bloating.
Diabetics support
Turmeric helps to lower blood sugar levels when added to your diet.
However, this still needs to be monitored, particularly for people with diabetes on medication or insulin. You don’t want the blood sugar level to drop too low, which then becomes another Hypoglycemia issue. This can be dangerous.
This can be dangerous.
So as you can see, there are many benefits, yet many more benefits can be given.
The best way is to add Turmeric to your diet or normal meals.
You can also purchase the roots themselves and grate them as you would with ginger, which are both parts of the same family.
For those unable to take the powdered form for whatever reason, supplements may be available to you.
Rather than searching the link above, you can also find it here to save time.
Addition information on Turmeric
Please note the following precautions:
Turmeric can act as a blood thinner; it can also help to lower blood levels.
Diabetics
People with diabetes usually take medication to help lower and maintain their blood sugar levels as there are generally high.
Should you have been taking medication along with turmeric, this could lead to the opposite end of the scale in the form of Hypoglycemia (Low Blood Sugar).
Surgery
Firstly, for those facing surgery of any kind, always ensure you consult your doctor or surgeon, as some medication may need to be stopped at least 1-2 weeks before surgery. If
If you are taking turmeric supplements to ensure your doctor or surgeon knows about this.
They can advise you on the best action to take.
Heart attack and stroke victims
You are most likely to be taking some form of blood-thinning medications.
This is because it helps regulate the blood flow and prevents the blood from clogging, amongst other issues such as cholesterol build-up.
Again beware that Turmeric helps to thin the blood.
The main issue here is when blood is being thinned by medication due to your heart condition; you are already at risk of bleeding because it is being thinned.
It also takes much longer to form a clot and heal for any cuts as well.
Many times you may experience bruising when your blood is thin. So be careful on those corner cupboards.
Been there, done that.
If in doubt, the main aspect is to consult your health professional, who can make the call.
I hope you enjoyed this section on the Health Benefits of Turmeric.
If you have other methods in Turmeric’s use, please feel free to place your comment below.
As Always
