Turmeric, the orange spice that gives curry its yellow color, has been used in India as a spice but also as a medicinal herb for treating a number of conditions for thousands of years. It belongs to the same family as ginger and can be either used to flavor food or taken as a supplement. Turmeric contains compounds with powerful medicinal properties, such as curcuminoids.
Curcumin, the main active ingredient in turmeric has proven anti-inflammatory and antoxidant effects – it can target multiple steps in the inflammatory pathway at the molecular level and it can neutralize free radicals due to its specific chemical structure.
What’s even better, curcumin is great at enhancing the activity of the body’s own antioxidant mechanisms. Studies also suggest that increasing intake of curcumin can help improve metabolism, detoxify the whole body, relieve pain and even fight cancer. Recent studies have shown that curcumin can reduce growth of new blood vessels in tumors and metastasis and basically help kill off cancerous cells. There is even certain evidence that it can aid in preventing cancer of the digestive system, and The National Cancer Institute has already recognized curcumin as an effective anti-carcinogen.
While you might have known all of this thanks to the explosion of the superfood industry, you might have missed one crucial information: the best way to unlock all of these benefits and much more is by taking your turmeric with black pepper. In fact, taking it without it will lead to failing to receive so fantastic health benefits this spice has to offer!
The super-powerful duo
Piperine, the active ingredient in black pepper which gives it its pungent flavor is a potent inhibitor of drug metabolism and it inhibits certain intestinal digestive enzymes, thereby increasing the amount of any drug or supplement that can be absorbed by the body. This way, piperine plays a very important role in making curcumin bioavailable for the body. Many studies conducted on both lab animals and humans show that co-administering curcumin with piperine can improve the bioavailability of curcumin.
According to one large study, piperine can improve absorption of turmeric up to 2000% more! There are other ways to boost curcumin absorption: consuming it in the form of fresh or dried turmeric root, when it’s still abundant with natural oils, and consuming it with fat, as fat helps curcumin to be absorbed much more easily. However, the improvements in absorption rate caused by this are nothing compared with the boost you can get by taking turmeric with black pepper – just 1/20th of a teaspoon can significantly increase curcumin levels in the bloodstream.
Also, as both turmeric and black pepper compounds have invaluable anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties, taking them together will increase their health-protective powers even further. But the benefits don’t stop there!
Together, turmeric and black pepper can be used to:
- reduce cholesterol levels,
- boost metabolism,
- fight pain and inflammation,
- fight and prevent obesity and diabetes,
- treat peptic ulcers
- and improve memory loss in patients with Alzheimer’s.
Try it now!
All you have to do is begin using both turmeric and black pepper in your cooking by adding a small amount to your favorite dishes or prepare turmeric tea by adding a small pinch of it to warm water. By itself, turmeric offers a truly amazing set of benefits, but its low bioavailability makes it kind of a poor solo performer. But when combined together, turmeric and black pepper work nothing less than magic. These two aromatic spices will not only add unique flavors to your favorite food, but they will also help you optimize your health in a natural, safe and cost-efficient way!