Turmeric

Famously giving curries their yellow colour, turmeric is a spice that has long been used in Asian cookery. 

Part of the Zingiberaceae family, which also includes ginger, turmeric is extracted from the root of the turmeric plant.

Also known as Curcuma longa, the flowering turmeric plant is native to the Indian subcontinent.

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric and the source of the spice’s vibrant colour. 

Somewhere between 2% and 6% of turmeric is made up of curcuminoids, active plant compounds, some of which are curcumin.

Curcumin is prized for its antioxidant properties, helping to protect the body from the damage that can be caused by free radicals.

Turmeric has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for many hundreds of years. Ayurvedic practitioners often refer to turmeric as haldi, the Hindi word for turmeric.

It is now increasingly the subject of scientific studies.

In some of those studies supplementing with turmeric has appeared to support joint and bone health and it is also known to aid digestion.

Because curcumin is the active compound that gives turmeric many of its potential benefits, it is often thought that a specific curcumin supplement is superior to turmeric. However, this is not necessarily the case.

However, since turmeric contains a variety of additional compounds, each with their own benefits, a turmeric supplement offers a wider variety of uses and can often be more effective in certain uses.

While adding turmeric to your curry is the obvious answer, turmeric powder is an increasingly popular addition to smoothies and lattes. 

This powder can be added to your diet in a number of other ways too, from mixing it into scrambled eggs to popping it into homemade energy balls.

If you are not a fan of the flavour of turmeric or would rather a daily measured dose, turmeric tablets may be your preferred choice.

Curcumin is not easily absorbed by the body, meaning that in order to maximise its benefits we need to improve its bioavailability.

Scientists have discovered that piperin, a natural substance found in black pepper, can improve the body’s absorption of curcumin by up to 2000%. 

This means that combining black pepper with your turmeric curcumin supplement helps you to get the very most from it.