Turmeric Extract

Turmeric Extract (Curcuma longa) C3 – 1000 mg

What is Turmeric Extract ? 

Turmeric is a plant from the ginger family that is native to Southeast Asia, primarily in India. Its rhizome, which is an underground stem, is often used as a culinary spice and traditional medicine. It has been historically used in Ayurvedic medicine as well as in traditional Chinese medicine. Turmeric is a common spice, and Curcumin is a major component. There are 3 different curcuminoids, but only one is actually active, the other 2 are inactive.  

Many turmeric supplements give you regular turmeric powder, or they give you all three curcuminoids. The problem is that it isn’t the most effective way to reduce inflammation. Dr. Morse only believes in using the most potent, high-quality ingredients. Therefore, our products only use pharmaceutical-grade curcumin extract.

What does it help with in the body? 

Turmeric, which has both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, was originally used in India for disorders of the skin, upper respiratory tract, joints and digestive system. However now it is used for a variety of conditions, including arthritis, digestive disorders, respiratory infections, allergies, liver disease, depression, and many others.

Anyone who is trying to manage inflammation in their body would benefit from adding turmeric in their diet. The full potential of Turmeric and Curcumin have not been fully realized. Turmeric is rich in phytonutrients, which helps to protect the body by neutralizing free radicals (pollution, sunlight) and shielding the cells from damage.

What have the studies shown?

Turmeric can increase the antioxidant capacity of the body.  Curcumin is a natural anti-inflammatory compound and can help with the following conditions:

• heart disease
• cancer
• metabolic syndrome
• Alzheimer’s disease
• various degenerative conditions

Curcumin can boost brain-derived neurotrophic factor, the BDNF protein plays a role in memory and learning, and it can be found in areas of the brain responsible for eating, drinking, and body weight.

Curcumin may lower your risk of heart disease. Perhaps the main benefit of curcumin when it comes to heart disease is improving the function of the endothelium, the lining of your blood vessels. Endothelial dysfunction is a major driver of heart disease. This is when your endothelium is unable to regulate blood pressure, blood clotting, and various other factors.

Several studies suggest that curcumin can lead to improvements in heart health. 

In one study of 121 people undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery, researchers assigned them either a placebo or 4 grams of curcumin per day a few days before and after the surgery. The curcumin group had a 65% decreased risk of experiencing a heart attack in the hospital.

Turmeric may help prevent cancer have shown that it can:

• contribute to the death of cancerous cells
• reduce angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels in tumors)
• reduce metastasis (spread of cancer)

Whether high-dose curcumin — preferably with an absorption enhancer like piperine — can help treat cancer in humans has yet to be studied properly.

However, there is evidence that it may prevent cancer from occurring in the first place, especially cancers of the digestive system like colorectal cancer.

In a 30-day study in 44 men with lesions in the colon that sometimes turn cancerous, 4 grams of curcumin per day reduced the number of lesions by 40%.

It’s known that inflammation and oxidative damage play a role in Alzheimer’s disease, and curcumin has beneficial effects on both.

In addition, a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease is a buildup of protein tangles called amyloid plaques. Studies show that curcumin can help clear these plaques.

Arthritis patients respond well to curcumin supplements. In a study in people with rheumatoid arthritis, curcumin was even more effective than an anti-inflammatory drug.

Curcumin has benefits against depression. In a controlled trial, 60 people with depression were randomized into three groups. One group took Prozac, another group took 1 gram of curcumin, and the third group took both Prozac and curcumin.

After 6 weeks, curcumin had led to improvements similar to those of Prozac. The group that took both Prozac and curcumin fared best. 

Curcumin may help delay aging and fight age-related chronic diseases. This suggests that curcumin may have potential in anti-aging, hence the inclusion in our anti-aging supplement.  Given that oxidation and inflammation are believed to play a role in aging, curcumin may have effects that go way beyond just preventing disease.

Additional research studies have shown some possible benefits of turmeric for:

• Inflammation
• Degenerative eye conditions
• Metabolic syndrome
• Hyperlipidemia (cholesterol in the blood)
• Anxiety
• Muscle soreness after exercise
• Kidney health

What are some contraindications?

High doses of curcumin can interact with certain medications, including pain relievers, and can lessen the effects of indomethacin, aspirin, ibuprofen or acetaminophen. If you have cancer and are receiving chemotherapy treatments, including the following: Camptothecin, Mechlorethamine, Doxorubicin, and Cyclophosphamide. 

Additionally people currently taking blood thinners, including aspirin, Plavix, and warfarin as Turmeric or curcumin supplements can increase the risk of bleeding. People taking immunosuppressive medications like tacrolimus may experience increased side effects if they consume high amounts of curcumin.

Why take Curcumin (Turmeric) in supplement form as opposed to in our diet?

The curcumin content of turmeric is not that high, only around 3%, by weight. Most of the studies on this herb use turmeric extracts that contain mostly curcumin itself, with dosages usually exceeding 1 gram per day. It would be very difficult to reach these levels just using turmeric as a spice in your foods. That’s why some people choose to use supplements.

Curcumin is poorly absorbed into your bloodstream, and in order to experience the full effects of curcumin, its bioavailability, which is the rate at which your body absorbs a substance, needs to improve. To optimize curcumin’s bioavailability it helps to consume it with black pepper, which contains piperine. Piperine is a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2,000%, and when combining Curcumin with Piperine it makes them substantially more effective.

Curcumin is also fat soluble, which means it breaks down and dissolves in fat or oil. Therefore it is a good idea to take curcumin supplements with a meal that’s high in fat.

Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric 

For more information about Turmeric / Curcumin: 

https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/turmeric 

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/turmeric-benefits 

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/top-10-evidence-based-health-benefits-of-turmeric 

Compare to: Fusionary Formulas – Turmeric Gold ($65)