Golden turmeric is more than just a spice used in many delicious dishes, (or inadvertent fabric-dye). It has been touted as an excellent anti-inflammatory agent for centuries in traditional medicine practices. Current medical research has found that it decreases risk for all sorts of things including inflammation, arthritis, cancer, and metabolic illness, as well as protection of the average symptom-free person from future medical issues. Nerd out on a comprehensive NIH review article HERE. Turmeric’s therapeutic mechanism involves a component called curcumin, which affects inflammatory pathways and cytokines in the body by bringing them to levels associated with healthy outcomes.
Curcumin by itself isn’t well absorbed in the intestine. Much of it breaks down quickly and is eliminated before it can be used by the body. However, if it is mixed with a small amount of ground black pepper, it becomes about 2000X more bioavailable. The piperin in the black pepper stabilizes curcumin in the intestine, and allows it to be absorbed into the blood stream to deliver it’s anti-inflammatory activity. More info here. Most curry powder recipes already have the pepper mixed with the turmeric and the other spices.. Turmeric capsules may not have any pepper, and likely no fat either, so you’d have to add some if you are taking just the capsules. Not much pepper is needed; less than a 1/4 t - just a pinch will do.
Curcumin is lipid -soluble, so it’s best to ingest turmeric with fat to boost curcumin’s passage across the gut lining and into the blood stream.
Take home message: take your turmeric with fat and a little black pepper. This is already done for you if your curry powder blend has both turmeric and black pepper in it and you sauté your spices in oil when making your recipe. You can also make your own curry powder blend! An anti-inflammatory DIY might be a spoonful of olive oil with a teaspoon (1g) of tumeric and a grind of black pepper. Turmeric hack: I put 1/4 C of olive oil and 1/2 C of turmeric, and a 1/2 teaspoon of finely ground black pepper in a small jar and mixed it up well. I am taking a small spoonful of it every morning.
I have been experimenting with a delicious Golden Tea or Milk. Whole milk will provide the fat-solubization of the curcumin. Recipe HERE. And a simple chicken curry HERE. (I’d add 2 teaspoons more turmeric, and use brown rice instead of white).
** Turmeric contraindications: pregnancy, gall stones, kidney stones, blood clotting disorders, but these contraindications would be for high turmeric doses; more than 4 g. Lower amounts of turmeric usually consumed in a meal are not problematic. If you are worried, check with your doctor.***
Tags turmeric, curcumin, anti-inflammatory, black pepper, fat-soluble
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