“The use of natural remedies requires an amount of care and effort that many are not willing to give. Nature’s process of healing and upbuilding is gradual, and to the impatient it seems slow. The surrender of hurtful indulgences requires sacrifice. But in the end it will be found that nature, untrammeled, does her work wisely and well. Those who persevere in obedience to her laws will reap the reward in health of body and health of mind.” –Counsels on Diet and Foods, p. 301
Although turmeric/curcumin supplements have proven to contain tremendous health benefits with little or no side effects, as with all herbal or natural medicines, one must use them wisely, as their effects on the body may be similar to pharmaceutical medicines; therefore, if you have a health condition and are taking medication for it, you must check with your doctor before taking turmeric/curcumin supplements (supplement manufacturers may label their products as either turmeric or curcumin).
The dangers arise when using large doses or in combination with pharmaceutical medications. They can either increase or decrease the effect of other drugs and cause serious reactions. For example, in diabetics, curcumin may lower your blood sugar levels to dangerous lows when used with diabetes medications. Because curcumin is also a blood thinner, if taken with other blood thinners, including aspirin, it can slow blotting clotting, increase the risk of serious bleeds, potentially lead to strokes.
During pregnancy and while breastfeeding, turmeric is likely safe when taken by mouth in amounts commonly found in food. However, turmeric’s compound, curcumin, is likely unsafe when taken by mouth in medicinal amounts during pregnancy. It might promote a menstrual period or cause contractions, putting the pregnancy at risk. There is also not enough information to rate the safety of medicinal amounts of curcumin during breast-feeding. Curcumin can make gallbladder problems worse; do not use it if you have gallstones or a bile duct obstruction.
Curcumin can cause stomach upset in some people. It might make stomach problems such as GERD worse. Do not take curcumin if it worsens symptoms of GERD. In hormone-sensitive condition such as breast cancer, uterine cancer, ovarian cancer, endometriosis, or uterine fibroids, curcumin might act like the hormone estrogen. In theory, curcumin might make hormone-sensitive conditions worse. However, some research shows that turmeric reduces the effects of estrogen in some hormone-sensitive cancer cells. Until more is known, use cautiously if you have a condition that might be made worse by exposure to hormones.
Turmeric might lower testosterone levels and decrease sperm movement when taken by mouth by men. This might reduce fertility. High amounts of turmeric might prevent the absorption of iron, and should be used with caution in people with an iron deficiency.
Studies regarding turmeric require that everything be measured, so that if the results are beneficial, people can be told exactly how much to take. Standardized extracts provide this convenience, as you know exactly how much curcumin you are getting, and the studies can be done at “higher doses”. What was discovered through the studies is that curcumin has a low bioavailability—meaning, it gets excreted or metabolized by the body before the active curcumin can reach the blood stream and other organs (only trace amounts were found in the body after ingestion). This means that just because your supplement has curcumin extract does not mean that your body will be able to get the benefits. Therefore, when using turmeric or curcumin supplements, the biggest factor to consider is the bioavailability of the actual active ingredient.
Another reason behind the non-availability of curcumin in the body is due to its low solubility in water. There are ways by which one can take curcumin without its solubility issues coming in its way. Turmeric is fat-soluble, which means that it does not fully dissolve unless it is in fat. To increase the absorption of curcumin, consume it with a meal containing fats, for example, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, or olive oil. When eaten with a healthy fat, your body directly absorbs curcumin into the bloodstream bypassing the liver.
When taking curcumin with water, it should be taken with hot water to enhance its solubility. Studies have shown that boiling turmeric in water for 10 minutes increases its solubility 12 fold. Do not expose turmeric to prolonged heat (curcumin is moderately sensitive to heat). After more than 15 minutes curcumins are starting to get destroyed.
Another substance to use with curcumin is quercetin, which is one of the most potent flavonoids. It is a plant pigment that occurs in several plants and foods, such as red grapes, red onions, apples, berries, tomatoes, peppers, green leafy veggies, cruciferous vegetables, asparagus, beans, quinoa, and legumes. Fruits with a blue color or dark red have the highest quercetin content. Quercetin inhibits the enzyme that inactivates curcumin, thus resulting in better bioavailability for your body. Ginger, bromelain, and silymarin, all naturally occurring compounds also help to increase your body’s absorption of curcumin.
Manufacturers of herbal supplements are finding that combining curcumin with other compounds increases the amoun of curcumin that gets absorbed into the body. These compounds are known as adjuvants, defined as “a drug or other substance that enhances the activity of another.” These combination curcumin supplements have been patented by the companies that produce them. Accumulating data evidence shows that most, if not all formulated curcumins have better bioavailability and biological activities than unformulated curcumins.
Many recent studies conducted by major research groups around the globe suggest the use of curcumin as an adjuvant with chemotherapeutic drugs can help to maximize their benefits and minimize side effects due to turmeric’s non-toxic nature. Curcumin has been shown to prevent the relapse of cancer, decrease tumour mass and prevent cancer spreading to other parts of the body. Curcumin naturally targets cancer cells, whereas chemotherapy agents target not only cancer cells, but healthy cells. Curcumin is also non-toxic to healthy cells, as opposed to chemotherapy, which damages healthy cells as well as the cancer cells. However, low bioavailability of a curcumin molecule is still the primary challenge encountered in adjuvant therapy. Research is developing strategies to overcome bioavailability issues and discovering new ways of using curcumin in the ever-growing field of cancer treatment. Recently, with the discovery of nanotechnology, it has become possible to design curcumin-encapsulated nanoparticles or nanocurcumin by compressing its bulky size to less than 100 nanometres with superior bioavailability properties, allowing high doses of curcumin to be absorbed by the body.
The leading names in curcumin supplements currently are: BioPerine, Longvida, Jarrow Formulas, NOW Foods, Doctors Best, Theracurmin, and BCM-95. These supplements are made from curcumin and, at least one additional ingredient (adjuvant) to assist in the absorption and bioavailabilty. These patented additives each claim to increase curucmin absorption. No matter which one you buy, all brands will claim to have the best bioavailable curcumin. Their product reviews almost sound identical in that regard.
The patented BioPerine is an extract from the fruit of Piper nigrum (black pepper). It has been found to be one of the best ways to take turmeric to increase absorption. Bio-availability of curcumin is increased up to 154%. Black pepper increases levels of prescription medicine in the blood also, potentially causing an overdose; therefore, it needs to be used with caution. High doses of black pepper can also be toxic. However, we have been counselled not to use black pepper in our diets, therefore look at the label to ensure that the supplement you use does not include black pepper.
Some supplement companies encase curcumin within a liposome to increase its bioavailability. A liposome is a tiny bubble, made out of the same material as a cell
membrane. Liposomes can be filled with drugs, and used to deliver drugs to the body to improve absorption. Others contain phospholipids (a type of fat) combined with turmeric, to allow for increased absorption. This allows for taking the supplement without needing to ingest fats at the same time.
Both LongVida and Meriva contain 20% curcumin and 80% phospholipids (fats). In Meriva, the phospholipid is derived from soy. This combination has a respectable amount of research and clinical studies examining its effectiveness in curcumin absorption. Their websites claims that the formula is anywhere from 29-65 times more bioavailable than curcumin alone. Also, Longvida has demonstrated its ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and bind amyloid plaques, slowing down the advancement of Alzheimer’s disease. It may be the preferred choice for research that focuses on brain-related conditions and traumatic brain injury.
The Theracurmin supplement is composed of 10% curcumin, and 90% other curcuminoids. This product has been able to make the turmeric particle extremely small, into nanoparticles. Thus, larger amounts can be taken into the body. In treating cancer, high doses of curcumin is needed. Theracurmin has been tested as having strong anti-cancer properties. It contains microscopic curcumin particles in a suspension that is absorbed into the blood faster, and stays there longer.
In looking for another method to increase bioavailability of curcumin, a patented formula called BCM-95 CG was found. While the details of this compound are patented, essentially, it uses the other parts of the turmeric root to make the curcumin extract bioavailable. And the conclusion of the scientists who did the initial study on BCM-95 states that the study supports the “probable” role for non-curcuminoid components of turmeric in the absorbability of curcumin. In other words, YOU NEED ALL THE PARTS OF THE ROOT! This supports using the whole herb the way nature intended.
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center , the permissible dosages of various forms of turmeric (for adults) are:
Freshly cut root: 1.5–3 g per day
Dried, powdered root: 1–3 g per day
Standardized powder (curcumin): 400–600 mg, 3 times per day (as supplements)
Fluid extract (1:1): 30–90 drops a day
Tincture (1:2): 15–30 drops, 4 times per day
The concentration of curcumin may change by brand, so be sure to read the labels carefully. Biomedical science has been able to validate many of the ancient healing modalities that existed long before science. Much of this information was passed down from generation to generation, and is still in use today. These natural treatments are increasingly gaining the attention of scientists looking for cures for the most common ailments of mankind. No better example of this type of study exists than turmeric. Over the course of the past several years, it has been researched extensively, and it has been found that it can have benefits in 750 different diseases. The reason why it is not used in mainstream medicine is because the research into having a drug approved by the FDA can cost billions of dollars, and with a naturally occurring substance, there would not be a return on a drug company’s investment. Profit motives are the primary reason why natural medicine is still being practiced outside mainstream medicine.
Curcumin supplementation without someone having a specific health condition present can be used to prevent diseases that are caused by factors in our environment that we are not able to control. Turmeric’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties both are key factors in preventing damage from the aging process and decreasing the risk of developing age-related chronic illnesses. Taking turmeric on a daily basis, either in your diet or from supplements can produce a lot of health benefits without any harmful effects.
God has provided us with many natural medicines, which are more effective and safer than many medicines created by man. “Our Saviour is the restorer of the moral image of God in man. He has supplied in the natural world remedies for the ills of man, that His followers may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” –Pamphlet 144 14.1, The Place of Herbs in Rational Therapy (Manuscript 65, 1899)