What is Turmeric?

Turmeric, or turmeric (Curcuma longa), is a plant that is part of the ginger family. The shoot axis system of turmeric is very similar to the ginger we know, which is why turmeric is also sometimes called yellow ginger or saffron root.

Turmeric grows in the tropics and comes from southern Asia. In China and India in particular, turmeric is not only a popular spice, but has also been used there as a medicinal medicine and remedy for thousands of years.

Turmeric contains up to five percent essential oils, as well as the yellow-coloring curcumin. Proteins, sugars and resins are also a main component of turmeric. The history of this ginger plant is old and rich. In recent years, turmeric has received more recognition worldwide and has been elevated to the status of a so-called “superfood.”

In this article you will find out what makes turmeric so special and why we at BE THE CHANGE swear by the ginger plant when it comes to our health.

How was turmeric used historically?

The use of turmeric was first documented 4,000 years ago. Turmeric has one of the longest and most extensive histories of spices and medicinal remedies in human history. The ginger plant has been considered medicinally valuable for thousands of years, particularly in India and China. People back then quickly discovered that turmeric had a pain-relieving and beneficial effect.

The Indian healing art “Ayurveda” also discovered turmeric early on. In Ayurvedic teachings, turmeric is referred to as a “hot spice”, which is due to the taste of the tuber as well as the effect it has on the body. Turmeric therefore has an energizing, vitalizing and cleansing effect on our body.

India is now the main supplier of turmeric and has the largest cultivation area for the tuber, accounting for 80% of global exports.

Interestingly, the use of turmeric varies greatly in different countries. In India, turmeric is used primarily in dried and powdered forms, both for cooking and medicine.

In Thailand, however, people like to cook with freshly grated turmeric and particularly appreciate the pleasant spiciness of the ginger plant. The popular Thai dish “Pad Thai”, for example, is prepared with freshly grated turmeric.

In the West, however, the medicinal potential of turmeric was long ignored and the tuber was used as a cheap substitute for saffron, as a component for curry spices or as a yellow dye for food colors. The medicinal and healing effects and tastyness of turmeric have now also found recognition in Western countries.

Turmeric and its health benefits

Countless scientific studies have now examined the medical effects and positive effects of turmeric on our health. This is not least due to the ancient use of turmeric in Asian countries, which are already ahead of us in Western countries in this respect.

The dye curcumin contained in turmeric, which gives the plant its strong yellow color, has been assigned antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties in various studies. Turmeric has the ability to inhibit certain enzymes, which has positive influences for people with osteoarthritis as well as other diseases that can cause inflammation in the body.

In 2016, Doctor James W. Daily was able to scientifically prove that turmeric has a strong pain-relieving effect. For a long time, the use of turmeric as a painkiller was laughed at by Western medicine or viewed as inferior as a component of natural medicine - this scientific study was able to take the last wind out of the sails of the skeptics and clearly prove that turmeric is an effective painkiller from nature. This is particularly important for people who are affected by inflammatory processes in the body or, for example, suffer from osteoarthritis and are looking for natural medicines.

Turmeric is now often used as a natural alternative to ibuprofen and paracetamol. In contrast to conventional painkillers, turmeric does not put any strain on our liver because it has no hepatotoxicity. In complete contrast to this, turmeric, with its immune-modulating and anti-inflammatory effects, actually has a positive effect on and supports detoxification processes in the liver. Turmeric can also remove metals from the body, such as lead and mercury.

Turmeric for our skin

The positive and healing effects of turmeric have become increasingly important in recent years, particularly for the beauty industry. Turmeric not only has the ability to inhibit or relieve inflammatory processes in the body, but also to combat inflammation in the upper layers of our skin.

Acne sufferers can therefore treat their skin problems naturally and effectively by taking turmeric. Both taking turmeric orally, turmeric with high bioavailability is clearly preferred, and applying turmeric as a mask are effective ways to improve the complexion in the long term.

Anti-aging with turmeric

The unique and complex effectiveness of turmeric counteracts the natural aging processes in our body. The restriction of certain enzymes and the anti-inflammatory effect of the ingredients in turmeric ensure that the aging processes in the body are slowed down, which also has a positive effect on wrinkles because they appear more slowly.

By the way, the so-called telomeres play a significant role in our optical aging. Telomeres are, in a sense, the source of our youth when you look at the natural aging process in humans. Telomeres are made up of proteins, our repetitive DNA, and represent the end of our linear chromosomes. A telomere can be thought of as a guard at the end of the chromosomes, protecting our genes and the information contained within them from attack and decay. However, the fact is that a telomere becomes slightly shorter with each cell division. At some point, when the telomere has become seriously short, the protected gene can be attacked - we grow older - visually, physically and mentally. We would therefore like to keep our telomeres long and support telomerase, the natural process that rebuilds telomeres. Turmeric naturally stimulates telomerase, which rehabilitates our telomeres and therefore keeps our cells young.

But how should you best take turmeric in order to really benefit from the various benefits? High bioavailability is the ultimate goal for turmeric when it comes to its effectiveness. High bioavailability means that the active ingredients can be optimally absorbed by our body.

What to look for in turmeric products

There are already countless turmeric products on the market, as the major manufacturers quickly jumped on the superfood and “beauty wonder” trend. As with so many things, however, care is required because the turmeric should be of high quality origin: if possible from organic farming in order to avoid unnecessary exposure to pesticides. The processing of turmeric is also important so that the finished product also contains the valuable nutrients, oils and proteins that give turmeric its positive and healing properties.

Our SwissMicelle® 2 Curcuma Longa drops, for example, contain the valuable turmeric longa extract, which is made directly from the health-promoting turmeric root. This turmeric-selenium complex has a very high bioavailability as the complex is extracted using a patented Swiss micellar technology. This technology coats the active ingredient molecules and makes them water-soluble, which means that the turmeric active ingredients and selenium can reach our cells in a previously unattainable mass, where they are absorbed by the body as nature intended.

Since we value the active ingredients of turmeric so much, we have added them to another product, our SwissMicelle® 3. SwissMicelle 3 is a Swiss premium complex of vitamin C, olibanum (Boswellia serrata) and curcuma longa with a very high bioavailability. In addition to vitamin C, which is essential for the body, and healing turmeric, we have also added olibanum to this complex.

Olibanum is a spicy, balsamic resin and a popular incense ingredient. It is also called incense and is produced by Boswellia trees. Olibanum is used in natural medicine and is also a component of medicines and various perfumes. As a herbal remedy, the resin is used for, among other things, digestion and healthy skin. In Indian Ayurvedic medicine, olibanum is used to treat wounds, arthritis, female hormonal imbalance and for cleansing. This application is known as "dhoopan".

Sources:

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2. Yurenka JS. Anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin, a major constituent of Curcuma longa: a review of preclinical and clinical research. Altern Med Rev. 2009 Jun;14(2):141-53. Erratum in: Altern Med Rev. 2009 Sep;14(3):277. PMID: 19594223.

3. Schaffer M, Schaffer PM, Bar-Sela G. An update on Curcuma as a functional food in the control of cancer and inflammation. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2015 Nov;18(6):605-11. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0000000000000227. PMID: 26418821.

4. Aggarwal BB, Harikumar KB. Potential therapeutic effects of curcumin, the anti-inflammatory agent, against neurodegenerative, cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, autoimmune and neoplastic diseases. Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2009 Jan;41(1):40-59. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2008.06.010. Epub 2008 Jul 9. PMID: 18662800; PMCID: PMC2637808.