Winning combination of turmeric and black pepper -The Asian Age

Turmeric (Curcuma longa) is a spice held in high regard for its bountiful health properties and its culinary uses. It's a favorite herb of Ayurvedic and Chinese traditional medicine, and its therapeutic uses date back thousands of years.

 Numerous studies have found that turmeric root can have a significant positive effect on neurological, cardiovascular, metabolic, immune system, and cellular health. It may even help support your thyroid and promote longevity. Turmeric owes its many health-promoting qualities to curcumin, the natural compound that gives turmeric its rich golden color.

The trouble with turmeric: For all its miraculous health benefits, turmeric does have one weakness. The golden spice has very low bioavailability. This means that your body can only use a very small portion of the turmeric you consume.

As the absorption levels of curcumin are very low, your body cannot harness the full healing properties of the spice. Fortunately, there is a simple way to enhance bioavailability. Just add black pepper to unlock the full potential of turmeric.

Black pepper can boost bioavailability: Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is one of the most commonly consumed spices on the planet. In many parts of the world, you can find it on nearly every dinner table, right next to the salt. It's usually just called "pepper," but it also bears the nicknames "black gold" and "the king of spices." It has a phenomenally long shelf life. Properly stored, black pepper can maintain its taste and aroma for many years. Black pepper also has many health benefits of its own.

 It's been used to relieve nausea, headaches, poor digestion, and sore throats. Much like how turmeric owes its healthy properties to curcumin, black pepper gets both its health benefits and its pungent flavor from a natural alkaloid compound called piperine.

Taking turmeric with black pepper may boost its bioavailability up to an astonishing 2000%. This is because piperine acts as an excellent bio-enhancer. Put simply, it can improve the bioavailability of other substances in the body. The serving needed is quite small. You only need a pinch of pepper to enhance the absorption of turmeric.

The perks of turmeric plus pepper: While turmeric and black pepper each have their own unique health properties, many of the properties are enhanced when you combine the two.

Possesses antioxidant properties: Turmeric contains many compounds with antioxidant properties. Curcumin, in particular, is a potent antioxidant. In fact, it's ten times more powerful than resveratrol, the much-hyped antioxidant in red wine. Piperine possesses its own antioxidant properties. Animal studies have found that piperine can reduce the oxidative stress brought on by a high-fat diet. By consuming pepper with turmeric regularly, you get double the antioxidant protection, helping you stay healthier, longer.

Resists harmful organisms: In vitro studies have found that turmeric resists harmful organisms, though more research is required to determine if this effect can be replicated in the human body. As a bioenhancer, black pepper not only boosts these abilities, it resists harmful organisms as well.

Eases discomfort: Both turmeric and black pepper work to relieve temporary discomfort. Piperine desensitizes a pain receptor called TRPV1. Turmeric helps ease occasional joint discomfort. Put them together and you have surefire relief for stiffness and soreness. This is one of the reasons turmeric is so popular among athletes.

Aids digestion: Ayurvedic medicine has relied on turmeric to support digestive health for thousands of years. Modern studies have found that it reduces spasms and flatulence. Both turmeric and black pepper have been found to enhance the activity of digestive enzymes in the gut, helping your system process food more quickly and easily.

The best ways to get black pepper with turmeric: Whole foods are always the best way to consume nutrients. When combining turmeric and black pepper, look to food sources such as curry. It may be a happy accident, or maybe the ancient peoples of India knew something we didn't, but many recipes for curry happen to include turmeric and black pepper. You can also make a tasty tea from turmeric, black pepper, and other healing herbs like capsaicin.

Simply mix these herbs into a high-fat liquid like almond milk and enjoy. While undoubtedly delicious, making curry every day could prove inconvenient. In these cases, you should consider a turmeric and black pepper supplement. Read the label carefully as many turmeric extracts neglect to include black pepper. You could add your own, but top quality blends will already include both.

Global Healing Center's Turmeric extract combines these wonderful spices into one convenient, potent, and highly bioavailable blend.


The writer is a professional researcher and nutritionist.
The write-up has also appeared on
www.globalhealingcenter.com                                                  ----Dr. Edward F.