The anti-inflammatory power of curcumin has been compared with drugs that it equals in anti-inflammatory effect. It is therefore recommended for joint pain, in arthritis or gout; or muscle pain, after sports or injury.
Consumption of turmeric as a whole is better than consumption of “pure” curcumin, because curcumin interacts with other components of the plant. In fact, experts in Indian Ayurvedic medicine recommend using the simple form of turmeric, the one that has been used for thousands of years and has proven to be effective.
Turmeric is highly appreciated for those health benefits, but it is very important to accompany it with black pepper. Thanks to piperine, its pungent compound, it increases the absorption of turmeric by about 158%.
So it is important to add pepper or a fat (oil, butter, etc.) in order to increase the bioavailability of turmeric, i.e. the absorption of curcuminoids through the intestinal mucosa.
For the dosage of turmeric and pepper, use the 9:1 ratio, i.e. 9 doses of turmeric for one dose of pepper. It is possible to add another anti-inflammatory spice, such as ginger or cinnamon, in which case use the 9:5:1 dosage, i.e. 9 doses of turmeric, 5 of the other spice, and 1 of pepper.
If the flavor of turmeric bothers you, you can put your powder in neutral capsules available in pharmacies and para-pharmacies.
Infusions can be taken preventively, but this is also the best way to take turmeric curatively: Infuse 1 to 2 g of turmeric powder with 3 or 4 black peppercorns in 150 ml of boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes. Drink 2 cups per day. You can also boil a turmeric root for 3 minutes, then let the decoction infuse for 10 minutes. Drink 2 or 3 cups per day.
In infusion, it is interesting to make an infusion of turmeric and lemon, the yellow spice and the citrus fruit being two complementary ingredients which act in synergy.
To relieve inflammations, it is considered necessary to take the equivalent of 200 mg to 400 mg of curcuminoids, 3 times a day, which corresponds to at least 3 g of turmeric, 3 times a day.
NB: turmeric can be used externally against skin inflammations for example, it is then generally applied as a poultice.
So, in brief, you can find curcumin in diferent ways:
- First you have the fresh forms, i.e. the fresh rhizome that you can find in organic stores. You can grate it and add it to your food or put it in the juice extractor.
- You have the dry rhizome powder form. It is the orange powder that you know well, I would say the most classic form.
- You have liquid forms, often an alcoholic maceration of rhizomes.
- Then you have a whole range of products that are standardized in curcuminoids, they are usually capsules, which usually guarantee 95% of curcuminoids in the product.