Reviewed by Irene Pauline Humpelstetter, CNP
There is no denying that turmeric is one of the most popular spices in the past decade. As we return to our traditional heritage of using food as our medicine, doctors and scientists have shone a spotlight on turmeric and have been delving into what makes this root very special. Not only is it a delicious addition to many recipes (like traditional curries to the more modern smoothie), it has a wide range of health benefits that can be healing for a variety of ailments.
Turmeric is in the same family as ginger and cardamom. This bright orange root can be found in Asia and has been used for thousands of years as an ingredient, a natural dye, and for its many health benefits. It acts on many areas within the body, including the cardiovascular system, the liver, cognition, the skin, and digestion. Not only that, high dose therapeutic turmeric has been found to assist in the healing of conditions such as, Parkinson’s disease (1), kidney disease, Alzheimer’s, and even some cancers. (2) Clinical studies suggest that turmeric aids in the healing of these conditions by reducing inflammation in the brain. (3)
Turmeric has risen to popularity because of its ability to alleviate symptoms of arthritis. Arthritis is a degenerative disease that affects the joints. Through prolonged inflammation, the cartilage and bone degrade and cause pain and other adverse effects that can ultimately result in disability. Most patients are prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs to alleviate their pain and stiffness which, in and of themselves, have adverse side effects that can lead to other disorders. Turmeric has the ability to naturally reduce inflammation, it has been used to treat osteoarthritis and similar diseases. (4)
If you’ve visited your local health store recently or done some of your own research on turmeric, you will have come across curcumin. It’s important to note that turmeric is the whole root while curcumin is a polyphenol (the active antioxidant component) within turmeric . While curcumin can be isolated and taken in larger doses as a supplement, it is poorly absorbed and can cause irritation to the digestive lining. Also, by separating and isolating the active compounds within turmeric, the other important nutrients are not available to compliment the absorption and action of curcumin.
A good way to reap the benefits of curcumin is to eat it in whole food form, turmeric root. Add whole turmeric to your curries and stews, grate it up in your smoothies, sprinkle it into your lattes, and put it in your marinades. This will ensure that you are consuming and absorbing all the nutrients found within turmeric.
That being said, many of us struggle with getting all the nutrients that we need through meals alone. In our fast-paced, stressful modern lifestyle, it’s hard to prepare foods that provide us with our required daily nutrients, let alone the addition of other beneficial foods that support our extra needs. To obtain the medicinal benefits try supplements, but instead of supplementing with curcumin alone, use turmeric supplements to ensure you receive all of the important nutrients within the whole root not just the one.
Living Alchemy are specialists in activating herbs for therapeutic use. We have been researching and developing a form of fermented turmeric that answers all the questions posed by this herb and creates a form of activated turmeric unlike any other. We have taken whole turmeric and transformed it into its most optimal state through fermentation. One major advantage to our method is the increase in bio-availability. It’s as good as it could possibly be without the need of artificial enhancing methods or adding other ingredients such as black pepper or black pepper’s isolated compound, piperine, which is used to aid the absorption of curcumin, but really may cause more damage.
Living Alchemy’s TURMERIC Alive is now able to offer a complete, whole turmeric that’s highly bioavailable, features a huge increase in active compounds, and is delivered as a living food matrix the body intuitively works with and utilizes. We combine our fermented organic turmeric with organic non-fermented turmeric and organic ginger for a truly full spectrum, complete profile of curcumins with an ideal complement of active nutrients.
TURMERIC Alive is USDA Certified Organic by International Certification Services, Inc., Non-GMO, gluten free, dairy free, and is suitable for vegetarians and vegans. It is also free from all excipients, binders, additives, and any artificial ingredients or chemicals at every stage of manufacturing. Now available in a larger size of 120 vegetarian capsules.
To try TURMERIC Alive find a local health food store nearest you here. If you are a health professional and would like to see more of our fermented turmeric research or research on our other fermented foods and herbs, please contact us at: info@livingalchemy.com.
References:
(1) Foundation Medicine Review. 16, August 2018. EXPLORING THE WIDE-RANGING HEALTH BENEFITS OF CURCUMIN: FROM THE COMMON COLD TO CANCER. Accessed 18, July 2019.
(2) Brueck, Hilary. 1, August 2018. A natural yellow chemical compound you can find in any grocery store could help fight cancer, diabetes, and even Alzheimer's. Accessed 18, July 2019.
(3) Foundation Medicine Review. 16, August 2018. EXPLORING THE WIDE-RANGING HEALTH BENEFITS OF CURCUMIN: FROM THE COMMON COLD TO CANCER. Accessed 18, July 2019.
(4) Nonose, Nilson. Pereira, José Aires. November 2014. Oral administration of curcumin (Curcuma longa) can attenuate the neutrophil inflammatory response in zymosan-induced arthritis in rats. Accessed 19, July 2019.