Turmeric (curcuma longa) has a long history of use in traditional Indian and Chinese medicines. For centuries turmeric has been used to treat complaints such as gastrointestinal and liver disorders, poor digestion, anorexia, cough, diabetic complications, inflammatory conditions, traumatic injury with swelling and pain, rheumatism, sinusitis, menstrual problems, wounds and skin diseases.
The main active constituent of turmeric is curcumin. In the last 60 years, almost 3000 preclinical investigations have shown curcumin exerts powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. These studies have also shown that curcumin also provides antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-proliferative and anti-atherosclerotic effects.
Curcumin (turmeric) in its natural state has poor bioavailability. So simply adding more turmeric to your diet won’t give you the levels needed to reap all the benefits of this compound! There are many supplements out on the market now that have made curcumin (turmeric) more bioavailable to us and in more concentrated doses. So you don’t have to eat or drink a tonne of turmeric!
Some of the key benefits of curcumin include:
- Reduces joint inflammation
- Antioxidant support
- Anti-tumour effects
- Maintains healthy digestive function
- Support healthy liver function
- Reduces skin pigmentation
- Maintains skin moisture
- Enhances wound healing
- Inhibits HIV replication
- Support gallbladder contraction
- Cardiovascular support
- Reduces blood cholesterol
- Prevents LDL oxidation
- Inhibits platelet aggregation
The key clinical applications of curcumin include:
- Antioxidant support
- Any condition with chronic inflammatory component (metabolic, neurologic and pulmonary)
- Joint inflammation and/or arthritis
- Exercise related muscle fatigue
- Cardiovascular disease
- Heart failure
- Cancer
- Dyspeptic complaints
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Pancreatitis
- Liver support
- Alcohol inoxication
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Pulmonary fibrosis
- Type 2 diabetes
- Sun skin damage
- Depression
At Impulse Chiropractic, we prefer to use Bioceuticals when it comes to recommending curcumin. Bioceuticals have a range of turmeric based products in tablet form called Theracurmin. These tablets contain a higher dosage of curcumin in a form that our bodies can readily absorb. What this means is that the effects of this amazing natural medicine are more efficient and available!
