Turmeric is a much bigger phenomenon than you would think. It’s everywhere. From Starbucks to local coffee shops everyone can’t wait to hop on the turmeric trend. But turmeric latte may not be everyone’s cup of tea. Don’t fret, there are plenty of ways you can make turmeric part of your diet. We recommend turmeric capsules. They are hassle-free, efficient and you won’t have to stand in a line to get your turmeric fix. Now you must be wondering what exactly a turmeric pill’s benefit is. Well, you are in the right place. Read this article to find out how this golden miracle can help you lead a long disease-free life.
Turmeric (Curcuma longa) has been used in India and China for millenniums. They use it for cooking, dyeing, as medicine, in cosmetics. In short, Turmeric is everywhere. It is recently becoming increasingly popular in the West for turmeric’s health benefits. Turmeric contains curcumin. Turmeric curcumin supplements have anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory properties. This miracle drug can help with several health problems –from heartburn and diarrhea to even Alzheimer’s or cancer. In short, turmeric is in and here to stay.
Benefits of turmeric:
Want to know turmeric is all the rage right now? Then read on!
Natural anti-inflammatory properties:
When viruses or bacteria enter our bodies, our bodies protect us with an inflammatory response. However, if inflammation lasts for a long time, it generally indicates an underlying major health risk like cardiovascular diseases. Low-level inflammation can cause diabetes, arthritis, asthma, cancer, etc. Even if the cause is not that serious inflammation must be controlled. Here’s where turmeric capsules come as a savior.
The curcumin present in turmeric tablets has strong anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin can suppress some mediators of inflammation such as tumor necrosis factor and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Curcumin helps people who suffer from diseases like inflammatory bowel disease or rheumatoid arthritis.
Pain relief:
Brian St. Pierre, director of performance nutrition at Precision Nutrition says that studies suggest that 400 to 500 mg of curcumin have similar pain relief properties to 2,000 mg of Tylenol or acetaminophen.
Antioxidant properties:
Curcumin is a robust fighter of oxygen free radicals. These active molecules damage our bodies. Free radical damage may lead to cardiovascular disease. So, curcumin can help prevent and manage cardiovascular diseases. Turmeric capsules’ antioxidant properties might reduce the risk of muscular degeneration, glaucoma cataracts, etc.
Betters skin conditions:
Some scientists claim turmeric has positive effects on skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
Anti-cancer:
We should state outright that there is no hard evidence that one of the turmeric pills benefit in preventing or treating cancer. However, research shows curcumin can kill cancer 
cells and prevent tumor growth. Curcumin has positive effects on bowel cancer, breast cancer, skin cancer, and stomach cancer. The countries where people consume about 100 to 200mg curcumin daily have lower rates of certain types of cancers. Turmeric also seems to counteract few carcinogens like certain additives found in processed food.
Brain food
A recent study revealed that those who took turmeric curcumin supplement twice everyday faired 28% better in memory tests than those who did not. Curcumin seems capable of crossing the blood-brain barrier. It helps reduce inflammation and the protein plaques that build up in the brain in Alzheimer’s patients. Few studies suggest that curcumin acts as an anti-depressant by increasing levels of the neurotrophic factor.
While many of these life-changing properties of turmeric are still under the microscope, you lose nothing by incorporating turmeric into your daily diet. There are plenty of turmeric health benefits to pass it up.
How to consume turmeric:
Now that we have covered the turmeric health benefits, time to find out how to best consume it.
Cooking turmeric in oil helps you absorb a greater amount of curcumin. When curcumin binds with lipids, like coconut oil or olive oil, it’s easily absorbed by your intestine. Even a small amount of turmeric every day will have a positive effect on your health. However, in most of the studies promising extraordinary results subjects are given concentrated curcumin. Whereas in 5 mg of pure dry turmeric curcumin accounts for only about 3% of the weight. So, merely a dish or two may not suffice.
Another option is the turmeric latte we mentioned earlier. You can get immense turmeric vitamin benefits from it. But depending on how you like your morning drink it can contain an exorbitant amount of sugar and calories. This may cause more health risks than benefits.
Another great way to consume turmeric is in pill form. It can also be a headache to pick effective and safe turmeric curcumin supplements given the sea of products available in the market. Turmeric pills’ benefits are many but keep an eye on some common factors since supplement companies don’t need FDA approval.
Choosing a turmeric curcumin supplement:
- Check if the source is a reputable brand with a history of safe manufacturing practices.
- Some brands get their products tested for quality and safety regulations by an independent laboratory like U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention, NSF International, Underwriters Laboratories, etc.
- If the product contains patented ingredients that is a good sign because these ingredients are generally FDA approved. A lot of these ingredients also help boost curcuminoids absorption.
- It’s best to consult a physician or registered dietitian for a product recommendation.
Necessary precaution:
Make sure to follow these tips so side effects don’t outweigh turmeric pills’ benefits.
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- Always consult your doctor before you start a natural supplement.
- If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to conceive soon, do not take it. Use
compatible birth control while using the product. - Be cautious if you are on blood thinners such as heparin, warfarin, enoxaparin, etc.
- Be careful if you are using anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin, naproxen, ibuprofen, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
- Take extra care when mixing with drugs that decrease blood glucose levels, such as insulin, glyburide, and glipizide. When paired with these drugs, turmeric can dangerously lower your blood glucose levels.
- If you suffer from conditions like a kidney stone, acid reflux, gallstone, diabetes, stomach ulcers, consult your physician before taking the turmeric curcumin supplements.
Dosage:
Follow the manufacturer’s or physician’s recommendations to determine a suitable dose of turmeric tablets. The dosage might vary from brand to brand based on the extract they used and whether they included absorption enhancing items.
Turmeric is truly a wonder. This plant root seems like almost a cure for all magic drugs. But, as we discussed before, there are some drawbacks. If at any moment you face tightness in the chest, bad cough, fever, wheezing, seizures or swelling of face, vomiting, changes in the menstrual cycle, diarrhea go to the emergency room immediately. However, these reactions are extremely rare and most people can safely consume the spice. We hope this article gave you an insight into the turmeric pill’s benefits. We can’t wait to hear about your new dietary journey!
