Turmeric is widely touted as the new superfood, miracle drug, cure-all, et cetera. These claims are substantiated by the thousands of scientific, peer-reviewed studies which have been conducted on turmeric and its benefits. However, much of the marketing surrounding turmeric misrepresents it badly. The greatest misunderstanding seems to be whether to use the word 'turmeric ' or 'curcumin' or, worse ‘turmeric curcumin’. One sees article after article that promotes turmeric all the way through the article, and then at the end, suggests using a curcumin supplement.
If you search Amazon for ‘turmeric supplements, you will find that many, many well-known companies use the term “Turmeric Curcumin” right on their label. It is like calling spinach “Spinach Iron” since spinach contains iron. Or saying that you are going to have a nice cup of ‘Coffee Caffeine’ to help you wake up. This makes you think that either they simply do not know the difference, or they are somehow trying to confuse you into thinking it is something that it is not.
Turmeric Has Developed For Millions of Years
Turmeric has been developing its plethora of compounds over millions of years for its own protection. Some of the compounds are useful for repelling insects, others help it withstand the hot sun, and others come into play only during times of drought and other stress. However, fortunately for us humans, these same compounds can bring great relief to a long list of human conditions.
Turmeric has been carefully studied and documented by Ayurveda, a traditional medical system of India going back thousands of years. Curcumin as a specific constituent of turmeric wasn't known until sometime in the 19th century. Its exact chemical structure wasn't determined until 1910. It has been heavily scrutinized in Western laboratories for its pharmaceutical properties since the 1940s. Many of the studies and trials performed in Indian hospitals and universities used the whole turmeric plant.
Standardized Extract of Curcumin
However, once the scientific scrutiny of the West turned to turmeric, the approach was to isolate the various compounds in turmeric and to study them individually. There are good reasons for medical trials to use standardized extracts, primarily to ensure that the results of the trial are a consequence of specific known factors. And it made sense that so much emphasis would be put on curcumin since it was the most easily identifiable compound in turmeric. But this emphasis has also resulted in repeated confusion between whole turmeric and the extract of curcumin. Even some well-researched and peer-reviewed articles refer to turmeric and curcumin interchangeably, so it's no wonder that confusion reigns.
If curcumin is the primary active component, then what difference does it make. First, as mentioned above, it is not the only active ingredient. For example, the turmerones (the oils in turmeric) are being studied now for their pharmacological activity, as well as the recent articles about the efficacy of the other curcuminoids (besides curcumin). And these are not the only constituents with potential pharmaceutical benefits. But also, the various ingredients work best together, as they evolved together, in "synergy" with each other. Synergy describes the way in which individual components of a system contribute to a result greater than the sum of all the single constituents.
Second, while the use of concentrated single-ingredient products may be useful in research, it doesn't follow that this is the best way for people to eat the foods they came from. No one would suggest eating just the quercetin extracted from apples and blueberries instead of the whole fruit, or the bromelain extracted from pineapples instead of pineapple itself. Yes, those ingredients are indeed sold as supplements, but not as substitutes. We recognize that whole fruits and vegetables possess other valuable properties and should generally be eaten in their original form. Yet, illogically, the idea has persisted and spread that the curcumin extracted from turmeric is somehow preferable to turmeric itself.
Third, the promotion of extracted curcumin as a substitute for turmeric has a questionable purpose. Turmeric rhizomes are from a plant that has been around for thousands of years. It is not something that can be patented. It is not, therefore, profitable for pharmaceutical companies in its original form. And besides, it takes months to grow a turmeric plant to maturity. This does not fit well into the business model of the pharmaceutical companies. Turmeric is essentially a food. But a unique formulation of curcumin can be patented, and several have been. Therefore, it is in the interest of the supplement manufacturers to repeat statements such as "curcumin is poorly absorbed," or "curcumin is not easily bio-available," and then to point out how their formulation gets around those claims. They conveniently don't mention, of course, that when turmeric products are made from the whole plant that curcumin and all the other compounds in turmeric are indeed bio-available. They work together with our natural gut microbiome in a supportive and synchronistic manner.
Fourth, the high concentration of curcumin in many of these extracts is itself a concern. No studies have been done on their long-term safety. Early supplement containers often were labeled with "Use only for three months" or similar warnings, because most of the trials had been conducted for no more than three months. Those who promote curcumin supplements point to the fact that humans have been given up to 8 grams of high-concentrate curcumin extracts a day for three months without adverse effects. One blogger, fighting melanoma, reports that she has taken 8 grams of curcumin a day for over four years without problem. And in fact, we do suggest that curcumin supplements be used in addition to the Golden Paste in cases of severe disease. But those situations don't represent the typical person ingesting curcumin-extract supplements for an extended period. The fact is that we simply don't know what the long-term effects might be. We do know that the curcumin from commercial capsules is a far higher amount than the body can use and that they don't include all the other benefits of the whole turmeric plant.
So How Should You Consume Turmeric?
To begin with, stop treating it as a drug or even as a supplement. It is a food {with some potent pharmaceutical properties, no question), but it has been used as a food and a natural adaptogen and curative for thousands of years with minimal side effects.
Turmeric activates the whole digestive system and consuming too much at first can result in a better acquaintance with the toilet than you might like. Otherwise, turmeric toxicity is relatively unheard of.
As you become accustomed to using turmeric, after a week or so, increase the amount you're using by adding it a third or even fourth time during the day. If you're healthy and just want to maintain that good health, you may not need any more than that. If you suffer from an inflammatory condition, such as arthritis, or if you are fighting a chronic condition, such as heart disease, you can continue to increase your consumption until you find relief, or until your digestive system lets you know that you're having too much. If that happens, reduce the amount you're eating until those side effects go away.
How Do I Choose Which Product to Take
The American Turmeric Company provides a number of turmeric products from which to choose. These range from our flag-ship Georgia Gold Fermented Probiotic Turmeric Puree’. If you are looking for something powerful and potent, this is your choice.
If the convenience of powder is your thing, we offer you both Lead-Free Plain Turmeric Powder and Lead-Free Fermented Turmeric Powder plus Lead-Free Fermented Turmeric Capsules.
The suggested serving size for the powder is 1 tablespoon per day. Only you can determine how much your body requires to give you a feeling of balance and well-being. You want to obtain the amount in your diet that indicates to you that you have fewer episodes with any condition that negatively affects your health...such things as allergies, pain, etc. Also, you can test your blood sugar and cholesterol for improvement over time.
We also offer Fermented Turmeric Oil Extract as a supplement to the turmeric powder (fermented and unfermented) products. It puts back some of what is lost in the process of making powder.
Check With Your Medical Professional
If you are taking regularly prescribed medications, please do talk to your doctor or pharmacist about interactions.
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