Turmeric is a popular spice found in pantries around the world, but its benefits go far beyond its delicious taste in cooked meals. Many studies have been conducted on turmeric—now considered a superfood—and its extensive health benefits, focusing specifically on one of its active compounds, curcumin.

Understanding the health benefits of turmeric

The health benefits of turmeric are numerous. The root of the Curcuma longa plant of the ginger family has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Recent studies have begun to illuminate its many potential effects on human health. We outline these

Relieving inflammation

Perhaps most popular among these benefits is turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties. As a natural anti-inflammatory, turmeric can help reduce temporary inflammation that both leads to and occurs as a side-effect of many health conditions and diseases.

Turmeric is believed to help ease discomfort and inflammation in joints as well as other forms of inflammation, such as delayed onset muscle soreness.

Muscle recovery

Turmeric may have a healing effect for athletes. It’s shown to reduce soreness and inflammation after workouts, improving recovery in active bodies. In fact, turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties have been found to be very similar to over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen—with the exception that it’s all-natural!

Antioxidant effects

Turmeric is also packed with antioxidant effects. For this reason, it’s known to help manage oxidative stress, a health risk in which free radicals (natural byproducts of chemical processes) impede on the body and can cause diseases over time.

Promoting mental wellness

The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties in turmeric are believed to have an effect on cognitive and mental health, as well. Inflammation in the brain is suspected to lead to cognitive degeneration.. The anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric might help improve memory and cognitive function. It may also play a role in the reduction of symptoms from high daily stress.

What is curcumin and what are its health benefits?

Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric. It’s known to have particularly beneficial anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Curcumin belongs to a group of compounds called curcuminoids, known to influence biochemical pathways. Because of this, curcumin is believed to be the major source of turmeric’s health benefits, sharing many of those same benefits.

This has led researchers and supplement development companies to isolate curcumin from turmeric to study its health benefits alone. Curcumin only makes up around 3 percent of a given serving of turmeric, so most turmeric and curcumin supplements use turmeric extracts that contain higher amounts of curcumin per serving.

Turmeric and curcumin combined have the best healing power

One of the most important things to note when selecting a turmeric and curcumin supplement is that curcumin is not always absorbed easily by the body. Look for a supplement like Omax Health’s Curcumin soft gels, are the best we have found because they use a nano technology combined with MCT oil for optimal absorption without any need for black pepper.