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Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant derived from turmeric root used heavily in traditional Indian cuisine. Turmeric is a close relative of ginger which I use quite a bit to improve digestion and reduce inflammation.
Curcumin was first used about 4,000 years ago in Chinese and Ayruvedic medicine.
Curcumin has a tremendous amount of research behind it and it is one of my favorite natural anti-inflammatories. But it’s powers don’t end with inflammation. Research has shown that curcumin has the following benefits:
Potent Antioxidant
Bile Support
- Enhances bile flow and solubility which is important for fat digestion and cleansing the digestive tract
Toxic Metal Chelator
- Effective chelator of copper and iron
Liver Protection
- Neutralizes alcohol and aflatoxin (peanut fungus)
Digestive System Protection & Healing
- Heals stomach ulcers, Crohn’s disease and proctitis (inflamed anus)
- Reduces leaky gut
Antimicrobial
- Antiviral properties for Epstein-Barr Virus (causes autoimmune disease, “mono” and chronic fatigue syndrome) and HIV (AIDS)
- Antibacterial and anti-parasitic (Staph infections, parasites and certain protozoa)
Protects the Heart
- Reduces cholesterol levels and increase protective HDL
- Reduces fibrinogen and platelet aggregation (prevents stickiness of blood)
- Improved microcirculation (small blood vessels)
Brain Protection
- Reduced brain damage after stroke
- Reduces development and regression of Alzheimer’s disease progression (reduces plaque formation)
- Reduces brain tumors
- Natural antidepressant
Immune System Regulation
- Anti-inflammatory, repairs injuries and joint wear and tear (arthritis)
- Reduces allergic reactions and asthma symptoms
- Reduces autoimmune activity in rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis
- Increases natural killer cell activity
- Reduces the spread of cancer in the breast, prostate, colon, pancreas, brain and ovaries
Prostate Health
- Improves prostate related symptoms
Healthy Blood Sugar
Nerve regeneration
Curcumin has an advantage over ibuprofen and aspirin because it does not cause bleeding in the digestive system. In fact, one study showed that curcumin actually healed injury to the GI tract that was caused by conventional NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). In combination, curcumin and resveratrol have been proven to be even stronger anti-inflammatories than ibuprofen and aspirin.
Curcumin has been studied extensively in human clinical trials at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Institute in Houston, Texas. These studies found that curcumin was safe for patients under-going chemotherapy and does not need to be avoided. In fact, it was found to enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy.
Curcumin and other plant-derived compounds have been shown to work synergistically with Vitamin D3.
How should you take curcumin?
Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed however it’s absorption can be enhanced significantly if it is combined with phosphatidyl choline. It is also very unstable but this can also be remedied by combining it with lecithin.
I recommend CurcuSelect from Moss Nutrition which is formulated to contain the phosphatidyl choline and lecithin in the patented Meriva form.
I recommend taking curcumin with a meal that contains fat or with fish oil to further support absorption. 500mg twice a day with meals is the most effective therapeutic dose which would be two capsules of CurcuSelect twice a day during acute health problems.
A maintenance dose would be 250mg twice a day with meals which would be one CurcuSelect taken twice a day.
Curcumin is not recommended during pregnancy, if you are taking blood-thinners, or with gall stones. If you iron levels are low and you are trying to improve your ferritin levels then curcumin may inhibit your progress due to it’s chelating ability of iron.
Turmeric tea is also and excellent option for reaping the health benefits of curcumin. I like Turmeric Ginger tea from Rishi so I get the benefits of both herbs. You can also cook more often with the spice turmeric.
Inflammation is at the root of the vast majority of health problems so it just makes sense that curcumin works so well with so many conditions. Curcumin is by far one of my favorite natural remedies for a variety of symptoms and health concerns.
