Turmeric & Curcumin

What is Curcumin?

Curcumin is the active component of turmeric, a vibrant yellow spice. Turmeric has been consumed in India for thousands of years as both a culinary and medicinal herb. Curcumin is the active constituent to which most of turmeric’s health benefits are attributed.

What are the benefits of Curcumin?

Turmeric is famous for having benefits for overall health and brain health, by fighting inflammation, lowering Alzheimer’s risk and reducing cancer cell growth.

However, the curcumin content of turmeric powder is 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. Therefore, it would be very difficult to reach these levels just using turmeric as a spice in your diet.

The good news is that curcumin is fat soluble, which means it breaks down and dissolves in fat or oil. Therefore, consuming curcumin supplements or turmeric in cooking alongside a fat can increase its bioavailability (the rate at which your body absorbs a substance).