Have you heard about the health benefits of turmeric? This
spice is a favorite in India, where it has the name “Indian Saffron.” It’s
famous for adding and enhancing flavors in food, and its distinct yellow color stains
anything it touches, which is why it also has a use as a natural dye.
The polyphenol antioxidants found in turmeric have potent medicinal properties which make it ideal as a natural treatment for providing relief from a variety of adverse health conditions.

Systemic Inflammation Explained
We’ve all heard that inflammation is responsible for
numerous diseases and adverse health issues. However, did you know that some
forms of inflammation are vital to maintain our health and fight disease?
Without the body’s natural inflammatory response to pathogens, they would
overcome us, resulting in death.
However, while the short-rem effects of inflammation are
beneficial, acute and prolonged inflammation has severe health consequences.
Systemic inflammation describes a condition where inflammatory particles start
to attack tissues in the body, increasing numerous health problems.
Systemic inflammation starts in the gut. When we consume
foods high in refined carbohydrates, such as flours and sugar, it causes changes
in the intestinal wall. The cells in the intestines start to expand, producing
gaps in this permeable barrier.
Pathogens and inflammatory particles escape the gut,
entering the bloodstream. The blood carries the particles throughout the body,
affecting every biological system, in a process known as systemic inflammation.
As a result of an escalation in inflammatory particles, we
start to experience the onset of inflammatory diseases. People who are living
with inflammatory conditions like arthritis notice an exacerbation in their
symptoms of pain and discomfort during the spread of inflammatory particles
that attack the joints.
Doctors treat systemic inflammation by prescribing
anti-inflammatory drugs to reduce the level of particles in the bloodstream.
However, inflammatory drugs have nasty side effects. Some patients may find
that they experience changes in mood, leaving them feeling depressed. These
drugs are also harsh on the liver, kidneys, and gastrointestinal system,
causing changes in the gut microbiome.
What if there was a natural way to beat systemic
inflammation?
Curcumin – The Secret Behind Turmeric’s Healing Properties
Turmeric is a potent natural remedy for treating systemic
inflammation. Grating turmeric root and consuming it helps to prevent systemic
inflammation in the gut. Turmeric also has potent anti-microbial properties
that kill off harmful bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract, while promoting
the growth of beneficial bacteria.
Turmeric gets its healing properties from the presence of
Curcuminoids, of which curcumin is the most active. Curcumin is the active
compound in turmeric responsible for the natural anti-inflammatory properties
of the spice.
The Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Curcumin
Curcumin blocks the inflammatory particles known as NF-kB, a
particle that invades the nuclei of cells, switching on the gene responsible
for creating inflammation. Medical science has plenty of evidence to suggest
that NF-kB creates the effect of systemic inflammation that plays a significant
role in the development of many forms of chronic disease.
By consuming turmeric in your diet, you lower the presence
of NF-kB, reducing the number of inflammatory particles circulating in your
bloodstream. As a result, you’ll notice a significant reduction in symptoms of
pain and discomfort related to inflammatory disease.
Grate the spice and add it to your food, or blend it into
smoothies for a potent anti-inflammatory punch.
Curcumin Supplements
However, one of the issues with using turmeric to take
advantage of its anti-inflammatory properties is the fact that turmeric only
contains around 2-percent curcumin. You have to eat a reasonably large quantity
of curcumin to gain any significant health benefit from the spice.
However, modern nutritional science came up with a solution
to this issue – curcumin supplements. Supplement manufacturers now using
processing techniques to extract the curcumin from turmeric. They produce a
powdered supplement and encapsulate it in 1-gram doses for use as a dietary supplement
to reduce systemic inflammation that starts in the gut.
By consuming curcumin supplements with your meals, you
reduce the expansion of the intestinal walls, resulting in lower levels of
inflammatory particles in the bloodstream. Curcumin supplements are affordable
and readily available from online health retailers.
The Bioavailability Problem
Both turmeric and curcumin have low bioavailability in the
body. This fact means that your gastrointestinal system and gut biomes only
absorb a tiny fraction of the curcumin found in turmeric or supplements.
As a result, you’ll have to eat handfuls of turmeric to see
any real effect. Considering you’ll probably dye your face, mouth, and hands
yellow from consuming that much turmeric, it’s not something we would
recommend.
Turmeric powder is useful as a topical administration that
helps to soothe the painful effects of sores and rashes. Apply it as a paste
over the affected area, and you’ll start to feel relief from your symptoms
reasonably quickly as the curcumin gets to work at relieving the symptoms of
inflammation. However, consuming turmeric or curcumin doesn’t have the same
potent effect.
Fortunately, nutritional science found a method to increase
the bioavailability of curcumin supplements, as well as the curcumin found in
turmeric.
Bioperine – Solving the Bioavailability Problem
When consuming turmeric, you should always add some cracked
black pepper to the spice. Studies show piperine found in black pepper helps to
increase the bioavailability of curcumin by as much as 2,000-percent.
Bioperine is a standardized extraction from black pepper,
containing 95-percent piperine. Supplement manufacturers blend Bioperine with
curcumin to increase absorption in the gut. There are many different brands of
these supplements available. However, not all supplement manufacturers produce
the same level of quality.

When selecting your supplement, make sure that you choose a premium product with a solid reputation. Everything you put in your body comes with a cost, and some inferior products may contain fillers or “special ingredients,” that don’t do your gastrointestinal system any favors.
Dosing Curcumin
When dosing curcumin supplements, always stick to the
recommended doses on the label of the supplement bottle. Studies suggest that a
dose of 1 to 3-grams daily spread out with your meals is the most effective
dosage.
Many curcumin supplements come encapsulated for easy dosage.
However, we’re not a fan of gelatin and stearic acid. Therefore, we like to
crack open the capsule and consume the powder directly.
Wrapping Up – Key Takeaways
Systemic inflammation is responsible for an increase in
symptoms of inflammatory disease. Inflammatory particles found in refined
carbohydrates are the primary culprit for increases in inflammation levels in
the body.
The active compound found in turmeric that provides its
inflammation-fighting properties is curcumin. Turmeric only contains around
2-percent curcumin, making curcumin supplements are far more efficient means of
accessing the compound. However, both turmeric and curcumin supplements have
low bioavailability in the gut.
Adding Bioperine to your curcumin supplement increases
bioavailability by over 2,000-percent. As a result, your body absorbs more
curcumin, without wasting the supplement, and your money.
Always look for a reputable supplement company when
selecting your curcumin product, you may have to pay a few dollars extra, but
the money is worth it if you consider the health benefits.
People that suffer from the effects of inflammatory diseases
such as arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and eczema can gain significant relief
from their symptoms by using a curcumin supplement fortified with Bioperine.
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