5+ Unbelievable Health Benefits of Curcumin

Tiffany Madison

Published in

AMMA Healing

7 min readApr 29, 2020

HIGHLIGHTS

Curcumin has been used as medicine for thousands of years in traditional Ayurvedic (Indian), Chinese, and Unani (Ancient Greek) medical practices.
Modern science is proving that curcumin can be used to prevent cancer, improve heart health, fight flu, prevent obesity, reverse Alzheimer’s Disease, improve sexual function, and treat depression.
Use curcuminoid complexes rather than curcumin isolate. Take a minimum of 2–4 grams per serving, and always combine with black pepper for improved absorption.
Curcumin has a synergistic effect with hemp extracts like those found in our Nano Soft Gels with 10 grams of Curcuminoids.

April 28, 2020 — Modern science is finally catching up to what ancient traditions have known about curcumin for thousands of years. An underappreciated superfood, curcumin has been used in the medical practices of traditional Ayurvedic (Indian), Chinese, and Unani (Ancient Greek) cultures. We usually think of curcumin in the form of turmeric root, a member of the ginger family, and the spice that gives traditional curries their yellow color. But the western world has recently uncovered curcumin’s life-saving benefits. Curcumin can prevent cancer, improve heart health, fight flu, improve oral health, prevent obesity, reverse Alzheimer’s, improve sexual function, and treat depression. [1]

Anti-inflammatory

Inflammation is a critical biological process in humans. It’s part of our immune response to fight pathogens like viruses and bacteria, repair our bodies when they become injured, and signal our body to become more fit in response to exercise. While a little inflammation is critical, too much inflammation plays a role in nearly all chronic diseases including heart disease, obesity, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and others. [2]
Believe it or not, curcumin has been proven to be an equal to or more effective anti-inflammatory than many pharmaceuticals without negative side-effects. [3]

These anti-inflammatory properties are precisely why we used it in our inflammation and free-radical fighting Nano Soft Gels, giving your body a double boost of wellness.

Antioxidant & Anti-Cancer

One of curcumin’s most powerful benefits is its role in combating oxidative stress. Oxidation is a process caused by free radicals that damages your very DNA. Free radicals are split atoms or molecules with unpaired electrons that bind to other molecules in your body causing damage to cells, proteins, and DNA. This tissue damage is linked to diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, MS, stroke, and more. Curcumin is a master antioxidant that seeks out and destroys free radicals, protecting your cells from oxidative stress. [4]
Curcumin’s strong antioxidant property is a potent weapon against cancer. Cancers occur when genes accumulate too much damage, leading to uncontrolled cell growth. While there are many cancers and many causes of cancer, one common cause is increased exposure to free radicals. For cancers that impact the digestive tract, curcumin was shown to decrease pre-cancerous lesions by 40%. [6] Not only can it prevent cancer, but curcumin has also been shown to kill cancer cells outright, and reduce angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels in tumors) and metastasis (spread of cancer), leading to improved outcomes. [7]
Not only is curcumin a potent antioxidant, but it also boosts your body’s natural ability to produce its own antioxidants! Meaning it helps protect you from cellular damage even when you’re not taking it. [5]

Creates New Brain Cells and Prevents Alzheimer’s:

We used to think that once we reached adulthood, the number of our brain cells and their interconnections were fixed. Now we know this is not true, and not only can our brain form new connections, but our neurons can multiply. One of the key compounds driving this process is a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), which is essentially your brain’s growth hormone. [8] When we lack sufficient BDNF, we begin seeing upticks in Alzheimer’s, dementia, and depression. [11] Which compound can greatly boost BDNF? You guessed it, curcumin! [9]
Curcumin’s inflammation-fighting and anti-oxidant power can also prevent Alzheimer’s, as both contribute to the disease. [12] It should, therefore, be no surprise that curcumin prevents the accumulation of the plaque amyloid-beta, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. [13] In those who have Alzheimer’s, curcumin has been found to clear away buildups of this plaque thereby slowing or even potentially reversing the disease’s impact.
Curcumin both prevents memory problems from worsening, and actively improves day-to-day memory function. [10] In one study, the memory function of those who took curcumin improved by an average of 28% over 18 months. In contrast, the control group’s scores ultimately declined.

Improves Mood:

Curcumin has mood-boosting properties and keeps the blues away. In some individuals, curcumin improved mood and reduced the symptoms of depression just as effectively as common antidepressants like Prozac. [14] [15] In another study, a group of depressed individuals taking curcumin improved significantly compared to the control group. It is believed this is because curcumin inhibits MAOs just like popular prescription antidepressants SSRIs. Additionally, it may boost our happy hormones: the key brain neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine. [16] Third, curcumin is tied to improvements in the hypothalamus and amygdala, the regions of the brain responsible for anxiety, complex decision-making, and emotion. [17]

Heart & Lungs:

Curcumin should steal your heart! Curcumin supports a healthy heart and can reduce your risk of cardiovascular (heart) disease, the leading cause of death worldwide (taking over 18 million lives annually). [18]
One of the main causes of heart disease is the dysfunction of the endothelium, the lining of your blood vessels. Healthy endothelial function is critical for healthy heart function and ensuring proper oxygenation of your brain and muscles. Curcumin is shown to improve endothelial function, in some cases just as effective as exercise, and heart-health drugs called statins. [19] In fact, one study found that in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery, those consuming curcumin had a 65% decreased risk of experiencing a heart attack while hospitalized! [20]
Another study found curcumin lowered lower levels of LDL, the “bad” cholesterol that builds up artery walls [21] and causes heart attacks.

Mental & Physical Performance

Aside from preventing heart disease and heart attacks, healthy endothelial function ensures you’re properly oxygenating your brain and muscles, leading to enhanced mental and physical performance. [22]

Before you go out and buy curcumin, make sure you understand the differences in quality which can greatly impact its effectiveness.

Multiple studies have demonstrated that curcuminoid complexes derived from whole turmeric roots are far more effective than curcumin alone. This is why AMMA uses a total curcuminoid complex in its products that contain not only curcumin (diferuloylmethane), but other therapeutic compounds like desmethoxycurcumin, and bisdemethoxycurcumin as well. This belief in using whole plant extracts is why we created the Broad Spectrum+ standard for hemp extracts.

Another key factor for effectiveness is absorption. Curcumin is poorly absorbed by the bloodstream, and the majority of it passes through your digestive tract without being utilized. You can easily improve absorption by mixing it with fat (like the organic MCT oil found in our Curcumin Soft Gels), and with black pepper, which can increase the absorption by 10,000% (NOT a typo!). [23]

CONCLUSION

It’s amazing to see what modern science is proving the intrinsic knowledge of ancient medical curcumin practices that incorporated curcumin. Clearly, it’s a key ingredient to our overall health. Thankfully, it’s easy to get your daily dose of quality curcumin. AMMA uses a healthy 10 grams of bioavailable curcuminoid complex in every serving of AMMA’s Nano Soft Gels with curcumin. The Soft Gels are designed to jumpstart your morning and optimize your brain function throughout the day.

BONUS BENEFITS:

Flu Fighter: It helps fight flu and reduces inflammatory cytokines that cause the most serious flu complications. [23] To learn more about how hemp can boost your immune system, and protect you from flu’s most serious complications READ HERE.
Blood Sugar/Diabetes: Curcumin can help fight inflammation and keeps blood sugar levels steady, making it could be a useful tool to prevent or treat type 2 diabetes. One study followed 240 adults with prediabetes and found that taking a curcumin supplement over 9 months lowered their odds of developing diabetes. It also reduces kidney tissue inflammation, a serious side effect of diabetes.
Eases PMS Symptoms: One study that followed women for three menstrual cycles in a row found that curcumin supplements helped ease PMS symptoms. Another animal study showed it could bring relief from menstrual cramps too.
Reduces Chronic & Arthritis Pain: A 2020 study showed it reduced chronic pain in osteoarthritis patients. This makes sense because arthritis is primarily an inflammatory disease, and curcumin can sometimes be even more effective than anti-inflammatory drugs for treating rheumatoid arthritis. [24]
IBS: Early research, including a pilot study of 207 adults and another one using rats, has found that turmeric could help improve IBS symptoms such as abdominal pain.