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he power of Curcumin (Part 1)
My motorcycle tour in India (on Indian made Royal Enfield’s of course!) with my son in 2015 was a feast for my senses including of course my taste buds. Most curry recipes contain the brilliant yellow spice turmeric. It has also been a mainstay of Indian Ayurvedic medicine where it is used for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and immune supporting qualities.
Turmeric or curcumin?
When we talk about the food spice we are talking about turmeric either as whole root or more commonly dried powder. When we are talking about health benefits we are talking about the active compound in turmeric called curcumin which makes up about 5% of turmeric powder. More correctly there are 3 active curcuminoids of which curcumin makes up about 80% of these.
While the benefits of curcumin have been part of Indian healing for centuries it is now the focus of western scientific research. I have numerous clients who have benefitted from curcumin often to calm tissue affected by inflammation.
A client’s story
I have one client with a nasty Baker’s cyst behind his knee. These are essentially a hernia of the knee joint capsule. The most common cause is fluid build-up in the knee from arthritis. He started taking my combination Curcumin/OPC supplement and notices the cyst had gone down considerably.
Clinical trial
A study titled “Curcumin: a new paradigm and therapeutic opportunity for the treatment of osteoarthritis.” (Henrotin, 2013) investigated the application of curcumin in osteoarthritis. The study concluded “curcumin represents a new paradigm since it is not yet a recommended intervention in osteoarthritis but should be considered based on its safety and efficacy.”
The study outlines the impact of curcumin on anti-inflammatory pathways including inhibiting inflammatory enzyme COX-2. This is the target of most anti-inflammatory drugs and while effective, these come with a range of often side effects.
How much should I take?
I use a standardised extract of 95% curcumin extract and have created a proprietary blend to improve curcumin absorption into damaged joints and tissue. The normal daily dose is 1 or 2 capsules daily giving 500-1000mg of this high potency extract. We add black pepper extract to enhance the activity of curcumin in the body. This is equivalent to about a tablespoon of raw turmeric. This is especially effective when combined with high potency grape seed extract.
John Arts (B.Soc.Sci, Dip Tch, Adv.Dip.Nut.Med.) is a nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health. If you have questions or need help you can contact John 0800 423559. You can email John at john@abundant.co.nz.
Please note that the health advice given through this column is for general educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose or treat any health problem. © John Arts 2019
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