superfood turmeric

Turmeric is one of the medicinal and edible ingredients with the most abundant clinical research evidence at present. Its core anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects have been confirmed, but it is far from as magical as the "anti-cancer", "quick whitening" and "radical cure of arthritis" promoted by merchants. If used correctly by ordinary people, it is a very cost-effective daily health supplement. If used incorrectly, it will be a waste and may even cause gastrointestinal burden.

My mother suffered from degenerative arthritis in her knees two years ago. She had pain going up and down stairs. After hearing from neighbors in the community that turmeric was useful, she bought a can of turmeric powder mixed with hot water and drank it every day. After drinking it for half a month, there was no change. She also suffered from acid reflux several times. Later, I checked a lot of information and asked her not to drink it on an empty stomach. Every time she baked multigrain bread or fried eggs, she sprinkled half a spoonful of it, ground some black pepper, and dropped two drops of olive oil. After eating it intermittently for more than two months, she said that the frequency of knee pain was at least reduced by half, and even allergic rhinitis, which is easy to occur during the change of seasons, was reduced.

Of course, I thought it was a psychological effect at first. After reading more than a dozen domestic and foreign clinical studies, I found that there are indeed many ways to do it: a meta-analysis in the journal "Nutrients" in 2021 covered more than 1,000 samples and confirmed that consuming 1-3 grams of curcumin every day is indeed significantly better than placebo in improving shoulder and neck soreness, skin redness, and joint pain caused by mild inflammation. It even improves some mild acne and is as good as low-concentration topical acids. But don’t think that turmeric is a panacea. There is a girl around me who ate three spoons of turmeric powder a day to get rid of acne. In the end, her face was not healed but she had diarrhea for three days. Currently, many scholars in the field of public health have pointed out that the natural bioavailability of curcumin is extremely low. 90% of turmeric powder that has not been treated to promote absorption will be directly excreted by intestinal metabolism. The daily dose of ordinary people cannot achieve medicinal-level effects at all. The so-called "efficacy" is more of a psychological suggestion.

Both statements are actually reasonable. I went to Thailand last year, and the Tom Yum Goong and curry dishes at the roadside stalls contained a lot of turmeric. The Chinese owner of a local B&B said that the older generation of them would pound some fresh turmeric and take it internally or externally when they have diarrhea or swollen bumps from mosquito bites. The effect is faster than ointment. To put it bluntly, you shouldn’t just take two bites of turmeric to cure your disease, but if you add a little bit of it to your daily cooking, combined with the piperine in black pepper (which can increase the absorption efficiency of curcumin by 20 times) and a small amount of oil, the long-term benefits of improving chronic inflammation are real, and it’s better than spending hundreds of dollars on those IQ tax health products.

To be honest, I have also been in trouble. I followed a blogger and learned to drink turmeric milk on an empty stomach in the morning. After drinking it twice, my stomach burned. Later I learned that turmeric itself is not very irritating. People with thin gastric mucosa and gastric ulcers are particularly prone to acid reflux if they eat it on an empty stomach. We can’t even believe those who promote “turmeric fights cancer” and “eating turmeric to whiten skin”. Anti-cancer research is currently only in the cell experiment stage, and there is no real evidence in human clinical practice. ； The most important reason for whitening is that anti-inflammation improves redness, redness after inflammation, and melanin that is naturally dark or sunburned. No matter how much turmeric you eat, it won't help. Pregnant women, people with gallstones, and people with abnormal coagulation function are best not to eat it casually. Turmeric will promote bile secretion and affect blood coagulation. If you really want to eat it, you must ask a doctor first.

Anyway, I always leave a place for turmeric in the spice jar in the kitchen. I sprinkle it on when roasting chicken wings, cooking pumpkin soup, and even mixing salads with oil and vinegar sauce. I don’t point out that it cures any disease. I just want to eat with confidence and add a special warm aroma to the meal. Isn’t this more than any fancy health care method?