Benefits of Curcumin

Curcumin is a spice used both in the kitchen and as a natural remedy. We find it on the market in the form of dark orange powder or in fresh tuber. It has a bright and strong color and was used in ancient times as a natural dye for fabrics and skin. If you know turmeric and have used it at least once, you will know that it has the power to color everything it comes into contact with.

Color the worktops on which it falls, dye your hands if it comes into contact, give all the foods to which is added a bright yellow-orange color. It does not have an invasive taste and can be used in the kitchen to flavor any type of dish, from vegetables to proteins of any type. 

Turmeric is a plant from which curcumin is extracted. So curcumin is the biologically active component of Turmeric. Turmeric belongs to the Zingiberacee family as well as ginger and cardamom. The turmeric has a golden color, it is obtained from the rhizome which is the part of the underground stem of the Curcuma longa plant that is crushed and pulverized.

Curcumin contains hundreds of components that have been assigned over 300 different biological activities.  Among its properties, curcumin:

• is detoxifying
• is good for the heart
• relieves stomach pain
• is good for nerve cells and the brain
• is antibacterial and anti-inflammatory
• supports weight loss
• relieves depression
• fight osteoarticular diseases
• is antioxidant
• is a healing agent
• boost your beauty

Benefits of Curcumin

Curcumin is an excellent remedy for the proper functioning of the hepatic cell: it helps the elimination of excess toxins. If you want to get a benefit on the liver, turmeric should not be mixed with black pepper. The latter in fact inhibits the detoxification function of turmeric but maintains the anti-inflammatory effect on tissues and cartilages.

Curcumin is precious for the heart

Thanks to the curcumin contained within turmeric, it becomes a valuable ally also of the heart and the cardiovascular system. Counteracts heart disease, strengthens the lining of blood vessels and performs anti-inflammatory action. It also acts in the blood on cholesterol levels.

Curcumin relieves stomach pain

Relieves stomach pain and spasms by regulating gastric functions. It has high digestive power and favors digestion as a whole: not only does it inhibit the ability of fat cells to form or absorb nutrients. Also contrast bloating and flatulence because stimulates the action of the gallbladder in the production of bile acids, preventing the formation of swelling and flatulence.

Curcumin is good for nerve cells and the brain

It is a constant stimulus for the brain, slows the aging of brain cells and prevents inflammation of the central nervous system. Curcumin also protects against neuronal damage associated with neuroinflammation caused by food obesity. Animals fed with a fructose-based diet develop damage to the hippocampus through activation of glial cells that interact with neurons. Curcumin prevents this by inhibiting glial cell activation.

Curcumin is Antibacterial and anti-inflammatory

It is good for colds and sore throats. Mixed with honey and lemon, curcumin is an excellent remedy for inflammation of the oral cavity, cold and sore throat. Known for some time as a basic remedy against flu and joint pain, it sees these effects as being anti-inflammatory, analgesic and pain-relieving.

Turmeric is used as a natural antibiotic (antibacterial and antihistamine) and is an immunostimulant that helps to strengthen the immune defenses. It also has an excellent purifying power that helps to get the toxins out of the body in both acute and chronic states.

Supports weight loss

All the experimental evidences show the efficacy of Curcumin in promoting weight loss and in reducing the incidence of diseases related to obesity. In fact, scientific research reveals that Curcumin interacts directly with white adipose tissue to suppress chronic inflammation by inhibiting macrophage infiltration and activating Nuclear Factor kB (NF-kB).

All the experimental evidences show the efficacy of Curcumin in promoting weight loss and in reducing the incidence of diseases related to obesity.

This is possible mainly through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. In the most recent quality studies it is reported that it is expressly recommended as a therapeutic adjuvant in the management of diabetes, obesity and their complications. On a more general level, Curcumin decreases hyperinsulinemia and glucose intolerance.

Curcumin and depression

Curcumin has been shown to be effective in treating chronic stress-related problems and in particular in treating depression disorders. All the results show that Curcumin has neuroprotective, antidepressant, stimulating effects on neurotrophic factors.

Chronic stress produces depressive behavior. The prolonged administration of Curcumin (20mg / kg) definitely prevents neuronal and biochemical alterations by suppressing depressive type behavior.

Curcumin and osteoarticular diseases

The available data deriving from several studies state that Curcumin can be an effective complementary treatment in chronic degenerative diseases affecting the osteoarticular apparatus, both in humans and in companion animals.

It has proved to be the safest and most suitable nutraceutical alternative to medicines that are currently used in the treatment of these diseases.

Therefore Curcumin, can offer a new therapeutic potential as a chondroprotective nutraceutical supplement in the treatment of these problems. 

Curcumin is antioxidant 

This substance is capable of reducing free radicals and therefore slowing down cellular aging, the first step to counteract the emergence of any abnormalities at the cellular level, including the tumor. Its antioxidant activity has been recognized to be 300 times higher than that of Vitamin E.

Curcumin as a healing agent

Another exceptional property of turmeric is its healing capacity, which sees it as an excellent first-aid remedy for burns, dermatitis, insect bites and wounds. In warm and humid countries such as India, land of origin of turmeric, it is an excellent remedy because the powder is well positioned on the wounds and helps the healing of the skin without the use of liquids or protections that often with moisture lead to infect the wound rather than to heal it.

Curcumin for your beauty

Curcumin is considered a friend of the skin so much that it is an ingredient in many beauty masks and creams, and is also used to prepare the turmeric decoction, useful against skin inflammation.

Turmeric oil is prepared with the powder and widely used in natural cosmetics. Useful against wrinkles and dandruff, turmeric oil is a valid ally even in the case of cracked skin and dermatitis.

Turmeric essential oil is used in natural cosmetics as an anti-wrinkle treatment, against dull skin and in case of acne and oily skin. Moreover, its sebum-regulating action is also suitable for scalp and therefore against dandruff and oily hair . Turmeric oil has an antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal action, capable of resisting fungi and bacteria such as Trichophytosis, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes.

Thanks to the vegetable oil, extracts all the precious liposoluble principles of the drug and can be used efficaciously in different ways. You can buy the oil or make it on your own.

To make turmeric oil you need:

• half a liter of cold-pressed sesame oil
• three tablespoons of turmeric powder.

Pour the sesame oil into an airtight glass jar, previously cleaned and disinfected with 95 ° alcohol, add the turmeric powder and mix well. Leave to macerate for a week, shaking the jar from time to time , at least once a day.

After a week, decant the oil thus obtained, without further stirring it, into a dark glass bottle, without moving the turmeric that has settled on the bottom.

To preserve the oil the best way is to use tools and instruments well dry and clean.

If desired, add a couple of drops of the preferred essential oil to the preparation. The bottle is kept in the dark for about six to twelve months. Instead of sesame oil, also ideal for massages and mild for the skin, you can try using olive oil or rice oil.

As an anti-wrinkle product, it is used a few drops in the evening and in the morning, gently massaging the skin of the face and neck. It can also be used in combination with natural beeswax and rose distilled water to make a delicious nourishing balm.

As a dandruff wrap or to make your hair stronger, just put a teaspoon of turmeric oil in 200 ml of mild natural shampoo, without parabens or silicones, and a couple of drops of tea tree oil, massage and rinse.

Turmeric oil is good to regulate excess sebum on the skin, therefore as a sebum-regulating, purifying and anti-blackhead mask.

The ideal recipe consists of:

• 1 teaspoon of turmeric oil
• 2 teaspoons of sandalwood powder
• 2 teaspoons of sweet almond oil
• 2 tablespoons of chickpea flour or ventilated green clay.

In a bowl mix all the ingredients, adding a little water so as to obtain a paste. Apply to the moistened skin of the face or areas to be treated slightly and leave for 10-15 minutes. Rub well with both hands on the skin exerting light pressure and remove the pack by rinsing with cold water.

In case of chapped skin, dermatitis or itching thanks to its soothing properties. In this case, just add a few drops of turmeric oil to a carrier oil, such as sweet almond oil, and massage the area to be treated for a long time until it is completely absorbed.

Conclusions

Curcumin is a precious and essential spice for health. Its qualities have been known for millennia as it is able to combat many ailments and diseases. Also, today it is known because it helps in weight loss and is useful in the preparation of beauty creams. Turmeric is used in powder to mix with food, or in the form of oil to prepare cosmetics.