What is turmeric?
Turmeric, or curcuma (Curcuma longa), is a plant that belongs to the ginger family. The stem system of turmeric is very similar to the ginger we know, which is why turmeric is sometimes called yellow ginger or saffron root.
Turmeric grows in the tropics and comes from southern Asia. In China and India in particular, turmeric is not only a popular spice, but has been used there for thousands of years as a medicinal drug and remedy.
Turmeric contains up to five percent essential oils, as well as the yellow-colouring curcumin. Proteins, sugars and resins are also a main component of turmeric. The history of this ginger plant is old and rich. In recent years, turmeric has received more recognition worldwide and has been elevated to the status of a so-called “superfood”.
In this article you will find out what makes turmeric so special and why we at BE THE CHANGE swear by the ginger plant when it comes to our health.
How has turmeric been used historically?
The use of turmeric was first documented 4,000 years ago. Turmeric has one of the longest and most extensive histories among spices and medicinal remedies in human history. In India and China in particular, the ginger plant has been considered medicinally valuable for thousands of years. People at that time quickly discovered that turmeric had a pain-relieving and soothing effect.
The Indian healing art of Ayurveda also discovered turmeric early on. In Ayurvedic teachings, turmeric is called a “hot spice”, which is due both to the taste of the tuber and to its effect on the body. Turmeric therefore has an energizing, vitalizing and cleansing effect on our body.
India is now the main supplier of turmeric and has the largest cultivation area for the tuber, accounting for 80% of global exports.
Interestingly, the use of turmeric varies greatly in different countries. In India, turmeric is mainly used in dried and powdered form, both in cooking and in medicine.
In Thailand, however, people like to cook with freshly grated turmeric and particularly appreciate the pleasant spiciness of the ginger plant. The popular Thai dish “Pad Thai”, for example, is prepared with freshly grated turmeric.
In the West, however, the medicinal potential of turmeric was long ignored and the tuber was used as a cheap saffron substitute, as a component in curry spices or as a yellow dye in food coloring. The medicinal and healing effects and the taste of turmeric have now also found recognition in Western countries.
Turmeric and its health benefits
Countless scientific studies have now examined the medicinal effects and positive effects of turmeric on our health. This is not least thanks to the ancient use of turmeric in Asian countries, which are already ahead of us western countries in this respect.
The pigment curcumin contained in turmeric, which gives the plant its strong yellow color, has been shown in various studies to have antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties. Turmeric has the ability to inhibit certain enzymes, which has positive effects for people with osteoarthritis as well as other diseases that can cause inflammation in the body.
In 2016, Dr. James W. Daily was able to scientifically prove that turmeric has a strong pain-relieving effect. For a long time, the use of turmeric as a painkiller was laughed at by Western medicine or considered inferior as a component of natural medicine - this scientific study was able to take the last wind out of the skeptics' sails and clearly prove that turmeric is an effective natural painkiller. This is particularly important for people who are affected by inflammatory processes in the body or who suffer from osteoarthritis, for example, and are looking for natural medicines.
Turmeric is now often used as a natural alternative to ibuprofen and paracetamol. Unlike conventional painkillers, turmeric does not put a strain on our liver, as it is not hepatotoxic. In contrast, turmeric has an immune-modulating and anti-inflammatory effect that has a positive effect on the liver's detoxification processes and supports them. Turmeric can also remove metals from the body, such as lead and mercury.
Turmeric for our skin
The positive and healing effects of turmeric have become increasingly important in recent years, especially for the beauty industry. Turmeric not only has the ability to inhibit or alleviate inflammatory processes in the body, but also to combat inflammation in the upper layers of our skin.
Acne sufferers can therefore treat their skin problems naturally and effectively by taking turmeric. Both oral intake of turmeric (turmeric with high bioavailability is clearly preferable) and applying turmeric as a mask are effective ways to improve the appearance of the skin in the long term.
Anti-Aging with Turmeric
The unique and complex effects of turmeric counteract the natural aging processes in our body. The restriction of certain enzymes and the anti-inflammatory effect of the ingredients in turmeric ensure that the aging processes in the body are slowed down, which also has a positive effect on wrinkles, as they form more slowly.
The so-called telomeres play a significant role in our visual aging. Telomeres are in a way the source of our youth when you look at the natural aging process in humans. Telomeres consist of proteins, our repetitive DNA and represent the end of our linear chromosomes. A telomere can be imagined as a protection at the end of the chromosomes that protects our genes and the information contained therein from attack and decay. However, a telomere becomes a little shorter with each cell division. At some point, when the telomere has become seriously short, the protected gene can be attacked - we get older - visually, physically and mentally. We therefore want to keep our telomeres long and support telomerase, the natural process that rebuilds the telomeres. Turmeric naturally stimulates telomerase, which rehabilitates our telomeres and thus keeps our cells young.
But what is the best way to take turmeric to really benefit from its various advantages? High bioavailability is the ultimate goal for turmeric when it comes to its effectiveness. High bioavailability means that the active ingredients can be optimally absorbed by our body.
What to look for in turmeric products
There are already countless turmeric products on the market, as the big manufacturers have quickly jumped on the trend of superfoods and "beauty wonders". As with so many things, however, caution is advised, as the turmeric should be of high quality: if possible from organic farming to avoid unnecessary contamination with pesticides. The processing of the turmeric is also important, so that the finished product also contains the valuable nutrients, oils and proteins that give turmeric its positive and healing properties.
Our SwissMicelle® 2 Curcuma Longa drops, for example, contain the valuable turmeric longa extract, which is made directly from the health-promoting turmeric root. This turmeric-selenium complex has a very high bioavailability because the complex is extracted using a patented Swiss micellar technology. This technology coats the active ingredient molecules and makes them water-soluble, allowing the turmeric active ingredients and selenium to reach our cells in unprecedented quantities, where they are absorbed by the body as nature intended.
Because we value the active ingredients of turmeric so much, we have added them to another product, our SwissMicelle® 3. SwissMicelle 3 is a Swiss premium complex of vitamin C, olibanum (Boswellia serrata) and Curcuma Longa with a very high bioavailability. In addition to the vitamin C, which is essential for the body, and the healing turmeric, we have also added olibanum to this complex.
Olibanum is a spicy, balsamic resin and a popular incense ingredient. It is also called frankincense and is produced by Boswellia trees. Olibanum is used in natural medicine and is also an ingredient in medicines and various perfumes. As an herbal remedy, the resin is used for digestion and healthy skin, among other things. In Indian Ayurvedic medicine, olibanum is used to treat wounds, arthritis, hormonal imbalance in women, and for cleansing. This use is known as "dhoopan."
Sources:
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3. Schaffer M, Schaffer PM, Bar-Sela G. An update on Curcuma as a functional food in the control of cancer and inflammation. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2015 Nov;18(6):605-11. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000227. PMID: 26418821.
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