Did you know that turmeric is one the of most powerful medicines on the planet? Yes, according to what seems to be a never ending supply of medical research on turmeric - its a medicine! Research has proven its anti-fungal, antiviral and antibacterial. In fact research has indicated turmeric has over 600 clinically observed benefits to human health. With its biggest functional properties being improving liver detoxification pathways, digestive health, anti inflammatory and immune boosting - this really is a remarkable root! So remarkable in fact that researchers at Harvard University are currently creating the next round of cancer drugs from turmeric as its combination of anti cancer and anti inflammatory properties have proven to be so effective!
Now that we have talked about some of the main key points of why everyone has jumped on the golden turmeric train there are some other factors to consider when consuming turmeric.
For a start its a great blood thinner. Out with the old school aspirin and in with turmeric however just like aspirin and other substances that thin your blood, this is NOT suitable for everybody particularly if you have any medical conditions that a blood thinning effect may affect, or are already on blood thinning supplements or medications (Vitamin E comes to mind and thats just to start with).
Our body is terrible at absorbing the main active compound in turmeric known as curcumin. However adding a pinch of freshly ground black pepper will massively increase the absorption of curcumin in our bodies. This is how foods work together (after all ‘food’ is about 20,000 different compounds). It's all chemistry! This is just one example on how food chemistry (nutrition) is used to assist your body's biochemistry and have a positive impact on your health with clinical nutrition. Its complex yes, it’s confusing with conflicting information but that is literally my job - to sift through all of that for you to provide you with the correct scientifically validated information. It’s the research that has made us all jump on the golden turmeric train but let's make sure we’re heading to the right destination!
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