Turmeric is a spice that can be used for cooking or made into a tea. Besides being able to add special flavor and color to your dishes, turmeric also offers a variety of health benefits.

Turmeric has the ability to reduce inflammation and improve the body's own cleansing. In addition, turmeric can also prevent the release of histamine from mast cells and even inhibit anaphylactic, i.e. severe allergic reactions.

What exactly is turmeric?

Turmeric, Curcuma longa, also called yellow ginger is a spice extracted from the turmeric plant. It is often used in Asian cuisine. You probably know turmeric as the main spice in curry. It has a warm, bitter taste and is often used to flavor or color curry powders, mustard, butter and cheese. The root of turmeric is also commonly used to make medicine. It contains a yellow colored chemical called curcumin, which can prevent your mast cells from releasing histamine.

What is curcumin?

Curcumin, found in turmeric, is known as one of the most powerful herbal anti-inflammatories. It suppresses an overactive immune system, making it a great supplement for fighting allergies and autoimmunity. Specifically, it prevents mast cells from releasing histamine, which reduces the symptoms of food allergies. [1, 2, 3]

Curcumin has not only anti-inflammatory but also antioxidant (cell-protective) properties. Curcumin has been shown to be a robust free radical scavenger for oxygen free radicals, which are chemically active molecules that cause damage to the body's cells. Free radical damage, along with inflammation, is a major factor in cardiovascular disease. Here, curcumin can play a crucial role in both prevention and treatment of heart disease. It has also been shown to possess anti-cancer activities. [4, 5, 6]

‍

Get the best from turmeric

‍

The key to reaping the health benefits of turmeric may lie in how you ingest it.

A recent study looked at different ways to consume turmeric. The results showed that consuming turmeric with oil could help the body absorb more curcumin. Curcumin is thought to be more easily absorbed when it combines with fat, such as the fat in olive or coconut oil. [6]

Heating destroys some of the benefits of turmeric. Heating destroys the effect of curcumin. After 10 minutes of cooking, about 25-30% of the curcumin is lost.

Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. The body's ability to absorb it can be increased by 2,000% by taking it in combination with black pepper, which contains piperine (a natural substance). [6]

The best curcumin supplements appropriately contain piperine to significantly increase its effectiveness. [6]

‍

Where can I get turmeric?

‍

You can buy turmeric as a root and grind it yourself fresh at home. Here it is important that when grinding turmeric by the crushing speed the spice is not heated too much.

Another important note: turmeric has a strong coloring effect. To prevent yellow fingers, we suggest you use compostable disposable gloves.

‍

Organic turmeric root

‍

‍

Alternatively, you can buy turmeric as a powder. Here is a popular product:

BIO turmeric powder ground

‍

However, you should take into account that the curcumin content in turmeric is not very high. It is about 3%, based on the total weight. [Therefore, we recommend you this highly concentrated dietary supplement with curcumin.

This product contains piperine which, as described above, helps to increase the absorption of curcumin. Also included is acerola - a well-tolerated source of vitamin C for people with histamine intolerance.

‍

Pure Nature Turmeric Extract

‍

‍

References:

[1] Shin HS, SeeHJ, Jung SY, Choi DW, Kwon DA, Bae MJ, Sung KS, Shon DH. Turmeric (Curcumalonga) attenuates food allergy symptoms by regulating type 1/type 2 helper Tcells (Th1/Th2) balance in a mouse model of food allergy. J Ethnopharmacol.2015 Dec 4;175:21-9. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2015.08.038. epub 2015 Sep 2. PMID:26342520.

[2] Baek OS,Kang OH, Choi YA, Choi SC, Kim TH, Nah YH, Kwon DY, Kim YK, Kim YH, Bae KH, LimJP, Lee YM. Curcumin inhibits protease-activated receptor-2 and -4-mediatedmast cell activation. Clin Chim Acta. 2003 Dec;338(1-2):135-41. doi:10.1016/j.cccn.2003.08.015. PMID: 14637278.

[3] Kinney SR, Carlson L, Ser-Dolansky J, Thompson C, Shah S, Gambrah A,Xing W, Schneider SS, Mathias CB. Curcumin Ingestion Inhibits Mastocytosis andSuppresses Intestinal Anaphylaxis in a Murine Model of Food Allergy. PLoS One.2015 Jul 6;10(7):e0132467. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132467. PMID: 26147007;PMCID: PMC4493063.

[4] Tayyem RF, Heath DD, Al-Delaimy WK, Rock CL. Curcumin content of ofturmeric and curry powders. Nutr Cancer. 2006;55(2):126-31. doi:10.1207/s15327914nc5502_2. PMID:17044766.

[5] Choi YH, Yan GH, Chai OH, Song CH. Inhibitoryeffects of curcumin on passive cutaneous anaphylactoid response and compound48/80-induced mast cell activation. Anat Cell Biol. 2010;43(1):36-43. doi:10.5115/acb.2010.43.1.36.

 [6] Shoba G, Joy D, Joseph T, Majeed M, Rajendran R, Srinivas PS. Influenceof piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and humanvolunteers. Planta Med. 1998 May;64(4):353-6. doi: 10.1055/s-2006-957450. PMID:9619120.

 [7] Tayyem RF, Heath DD, Al-Delaimy WK, Rock CL. Curcumin content of ofturmeric and curry powders. Nutr Cancer. 2006;55(2):126-31. doi:10.1207/s15327914nc5502_2. PMID:17044766.

Note: Food supplements should not be a substitute for a varied and wholesome diet. The information on this page has been carefully researched, but we do not guarantee its completeness or accuracy. If you have any health problems, please consult your trusted physician to be on the safe side.