The yellow-orange spice known as turmeric has been used around the world for centuries. Praised for its vibrant colour and health properties throughout traditional Indian (Ayurveda) and Chinese medicines, turmeric continues to be a popular choice for many people.

A great deal of turmeric's health properties are considered to be derived from a naturally occurring phytochemical in turmeric called curcumin. Interestingly, more than five thousand articles have been published in medical literature about curcumin in recent years and researchers have found that this phytochemical demonstrates powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects as well as over 150 potentially therapeutic uses.

To reap the benefits of turmeric, you can easily add turmeric to your meals or you could even mix it straight into milk. But, it’s worth noting that turmeric isn’t easily absorbed in the gut- in fact, over 90% of it is excreted out of the body! Surprisingly, turmeric is best absorbed when taken with black pepper- some studies have found that black pepper can increase the absorption of curcumin by more than 2,000%.

To help boost the absorption of curcumin, our NPD team has been working hard to formulate our new Premium Curcumin with Bioperine® (black pepper extract) supplement. Using high-quality turmeric sourced from India, we’ve paired 500mg of curcumin with 10mg of Bioperine®- a compound in black pepper that may significantly enhance the bioavailability of the compound thereby boosting its absorption in the body.

So now that you know what all the buzz around curcumin is, what are some of the potential benefits? Various studies have often associated curcumin intake with easing joint inflammation and some have even compared the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and these studies have shown encouraging effects of curcumin to fight inflammation just as well as NSAIDs. While more clinical trials are needed, it’s certainly promising to see the anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin and may even pave the way to help ease arthritis naturally.

Studies also suggest that curcumin may also combat the damaging effects of oxidation thanks to its antioxidant properties, support cognitive function, help delay or even reverse Alzheimer's disease and could potentially even support the immune system- no wonder turmeric is such a popular herb!