Curcumin – The Basics

I am sure that you have heard a lot about curcumin in health magazines and on television.  Many people really don’t know much about curcumin, which is a shame since it is a great supplement that can prevent and reverse many ailments that are so common in today’s times.

If you have ever used or seen curry, you will be familiar with turmeric, which is a popular vividly-colored spice.  Inside turmeric is a compound called curcumin.  Curcumin is found in the rhizome or stem of the turmeric plant, which grows underground.  Curcumin is responsible for the golden orange color of turmeric and is perhaps the most powerful botanical medicine in the world today.  Unfortunately, there is very little curcumin in the spice turmeric and you need to know that cheap turmeric supplements on the market today may only contain 2 – 5% curcumin and may not be in a form that is usable by your body.  If your body cannot use the curcumin in the turmeric supplement, you will not get any effectiveness in terms of prevention or treatment for the diseases or ailments which are treated with curcumin.  Curcumin is many times more powerful than turmeric.

Botanically known as Curcuma longa, the turmeric rhizome is a member of the antioxidant-rich ginger family.  Curcumin has been used for centuries in Indian and Chinese medicine and is known to prevent, treat and cure a wide variety of serious diseases.  These diseases and conditions include everything from heart attacks to a dozen types of cancer, the pain of all types of arthritis and even ‘incurable’ diseases like diabetes and Alzheimer’s.  Curcumin also soothes depression and the agony of a variety of digestive disorders, including Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

Some of the many benefits of curcumin are as follows:

1. Fights heart disease – Curcumin helps to keep arteries clear, raise ‘good’ (HDL) cholesterol levels, reduce homocysteine and CRP levels, reverse heart failure, prevent stroke and stop stroke damage and help cleanse the body with its antioxidants
2. Cancer – Curcumin helps to block carcinogenic substances, stops cancer invasion of healthy cells, cut off tumor blood supply and convince cancer cells to die.  While no one touts curcumin as a cure for cancer, even the famed Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center has recognized the benefits of curcumin and has endorsed an anticancer cocktail mixed with another known cancer preventative, green tea.
3. Chronic pain and Arthritis – Curcumin research has shown very promising results in reducing inflammation, cartilage regeneration, pain relief and successful treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
4. Diabetes – Curcumin has been shown to reduce glucose production in the liver, keep glucose out of red blood cells, prevent development of diabetes, lower blood sugar and increase insulin levels, promote wound healing, protect the kidneys, reduce liver inflammation and even reverse diabetes.
5. Alzheimer’s and Dementia – Curcumin has been shown to grow new brain cells, protect brain cells, destroy plaques and tangles, improve memory in people with Alzheimer’s, and chelate or remove heavy metals from brain cells and shield those cells from heavy metal contamination.
6. Depression and other brain disorders – Curcumin is used to treat depression and other brain disorders with its benefits being: increases serotonin and dopamine levels, generates new brain cells, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mood improvement, blocks brain tumor formation, protects brain cells from stroke damage, counters effects of traumatic brain injuries and helps treat Parkinson’s disease.
7. Digestive disorders – Curcumin is used to treat or assist in the treatment of ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s disease, colon cancer, irritable bowel syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis and liver damage.

There are many curcumin and turmeric products on the market but they are essentially worthless if your body cannot use them.  To get the fantastic benefits of curcumin, you must take a supplement made by a reputable company that tests its product for potency and effectiveness.  Remember that cheap supplements often fail to provide the benefits that you are seeking and in choosing a curcumin supplement, the old adage of “you get what you pay for” absolutely holds true.