THE BENEFITS ARE ENDLESS – Turmeric curcumin root is a broad spectrum compound with many health benefits, and is a natural antioxidant, which defends the cells of the body from injury by free radicals. Researchers have found that organic turmeric extract can affect more than 100 different pathways. Turmeric offers the greatest support with no negative side effects. With the addition of bioperine the black pepper helps boost absorption into the body.
Image courtesy of: stefanklein16
How to Take Curcumin Supplement: Benefits, Dosage, Things to Know
Curcumin is the yellow pigment associated with the curry spice, Turmeric, and to a lesser extent Ginger. It is a small molecule that is the prototypical ‘curcuminoid’, and has effects similar to other polyphenols but unique in a way as it is a different class of polyphenol (relative to the other classes of ‘flavonoid’, ‘stilbene’, etc.)
It exerts potent anti-inflammatory effects, and these anti-inflammatory effects seem to be quite protective against some form of cancer progression. However, curcumin has additional anti-cancer effects that are independent of its anti-inflammatory effects and thus is a heavily researched molecule for both cancer prevention and treatment.
Other areas of interest as it pertains to curcumin are alleviating cognitive decline associated with aging, being heart healthy by both electrical means and reducing lipid and plaque levels in arteries, and both reducing the risk of diabetes and being a good treatment for the side-effects associated with diabetes.
It has a poor oral bioavailability (a low percentage of what you consume is absorbed) and thus should be enhanced with other agents such as black pepper extract, called piperine. This is unless you want the curcumin in your colon (as it is a colon anti-inflammatory and can help with digestion), in which case you wouldn’t pair it with an enhancement.
Doses up to 8g curcuminoids in humans have been shown to not be associated with much adverse effects at all, and in vitro tests suggest curcumin has quite a large safety threshold.
Full article read here.
Takeaways:
For any systemic purpose an oral supplementation of curcumin in the range of 80-500mg would be required assuming an enhancement.
Curcumin is poorly absorbed inherently, and one of the following is mandatory:
– Pairing curcumin with black pepper (piperine),
– Curcumin phytosomes complexed with phosphatidylcholine (Meriva or BCM-95)
– Curcumin nanoparticles (THERACURMIN)
– Water-soluble curcumin (polyvinyl pyrrolidone)
If one of the above enhancements are not used, then too little curcumin will be absorbed and even doses of up to 4,000 mg may be wholly inactive (8-16g would only be slightly active).
