Spotlight on Turmeric

You may have heard about people using turmeric root for various health conditions such as arthritis. This bright orange spice is a member of the ginger family, and is cultivated in India and Southeast Asia.

Turmeric has a long history of traditional use in Ayurvedic medicine in India, with the whole herb used to support blood, liver, joints, immunity and digestion. However, in the last decade the scientific community has woken up to its benefits and there has been an explosion of research into turmeric and compounds within it, such as curcumin. Curcumin is the most researched compound so far and seems to be the source of anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties which may provide the mechanism to its health benefits.

Therapeutically, curcumin exhibits promising potential in preclinical and clinical studies and is currently in human trials for a variety of conditions, including metabolic syndrome, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine, premenstrual syndrome, ulcerative colitis, knee osteoarthritis, polycystic ovarian syndrome, atherosclerosis, liver cirrhosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, depression, psoriasis, and Alzheimer's disease. (Akaberi et al 2021).

Let’s, look at some of the key conditions that turmeric or the concentrated extract curcumin has been shown in studies to benefit.

Allergy: Increasingly turmeric supplements are being suggested for allergy sufferers such as pet allergies and hay fever. Taking turmeric supplements may improve symptoms such as sneezing, itching, runny nose, and congestion. Please note it may take a few weeks to feel the full benefits so ideally it needs to be started early in spring before symptoms start.

Arthritis: For our joints, turmeric has pain-reducing qualities. Several meta-analyses of clinical studies show that turmeric extracts and/or curcumin products reduce pain in osteoarthritis such as (knee pain) and stiffness, improving physical function, and reducing the need for medication when compared with placebo

Meta analysis found curcumin supplements improved symptoms in 5 types of arthritis, Ankylosing Spondylitis, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Juvenile idiopathic arthritis and gout/hyperuricemia.

Depression: More recently the benefits of using turmeric for depression is becoming understood. Studies have found an overall significant effect of curcumin on depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that curcumin, might improve depressive and anxiety symptoms in people with depression after 6 weeks, there is also evidence that is can be used with some antidepressant medications such as fluoxetine and may even improve the effectiveness of the medication.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). It has been demonstrated in several studies that curcumin can help improve symptoms of IBD such as Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis by decreasing inflammation and decreasing colon injury. Using curcumin supplements during a flare up have been found to reduce bowel movements, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain in patients with Crohn’s disease

Why choose Higher Nature High Strength Turmeric?

Our High Strength Turmeric has been formulated with added Cavacurmin® and Turmacin® - highly absorbable ingredients backed by clinical studies so there is no need to take with fats or black pepper, our High Strength Turmeric is a massive 40 times more absorbable than standard turmeric extracts.​

What has become apparent recently is that curcumin isn’t the only hero in turmeric, as there are a host of other compounds in smaller amounts which all contribute to its beneficial properties. This is why we include 300mg of turmeric root powder so all compounds are included.

Our combination of specialised and potent extracts makes this a uniquely standout turmeric product.

Why choose Higher Nature High Strength Turmeric?

• High potency - each capsule delivers the equivalent of 3500mg (3.5g) of turmeric extracts.
• We’ve used high quality and patented extracts which are backed by numerous clinical studies:
• Cavacurmin® 200mgs per capsule delivers curcumin that is 40 times more absorbable than standard turmeric extracts. This is due to unique processing of the curcumin compound which increases its bioavailability.
• Turmacin® 500mgs per capsule contains turmerosaccharides which are a specialised water-soluble extract- this provides unique beneficial polysaccharides not included in standard turmeric extracts and formulas, and as it is water-soluble does not require any black pepper or fats to aid in absorption.
• We also include whole root powder to provide the full spectrum of bioactive compounds found in this Ayurvedic hero.
• Guaranteed strength and purity.
• Suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
• Easy to swallow capsules.

*Turmeric/ curcumin can interact with some medications, contact our nutrition team for advice.

Maryam Akaberi, Amirhossein Sahebkar Seyed Ahmad Emami Turmeric and Curcumin: From Traditional to Modern Medicine

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34331682/