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All about Curcumin

Turmeric is seen almost everywhere right from the kitchen to the physician’s clinic. Turmeric is an inevitable part of Indian cooking. You might have come across this beautiful golden spice in your grandma’s recipe of Turmeric milk, soups, and smoothies, and even in chocolate bars and cakes. Have you ever wondered what magic, this potion is doing to your body when you are sipping it over a discussion in a cafeteria or enjoying the fair share of your turmeric-enriched goodies with your family? 

Turmeric, also known as the “Spice of Life” has its roots spread back to the Vedic culture. This cherished cousin of Ginger yields saffron-colored rhizomes used widely in cooking, dyeing, and cosmetics. This vibrant orange-yellow colored wonder ingredient possesses a warm bitter taste with an earthy fragrance and hue of pungency. Coined as the king of spices, turmeric is a quick fix for most of your health problems.

This magic herb possesses implausible benefits that make it useful as an immune-booster, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, anti-microbial, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer agent. This miraculous property has increased the usage of this herb to a great extent not only as a foodstuff but also in the form of nutritional supplements.

The lovely golden hue of turmeric is due to the presence of a principal compound known as curcumin in it. Curcumin is responsible for the incredible action of Turmeric and belongs to the group of compounds known as Curcuminoids. They all are diarylheptanoids contributing the vibrant yellow color to turmeric. They constitute about 3-5% of Turmeric. These polymorphic compounds are mainly extracted from the rhizomes of the plant. The content may vary depending upon the variety of turmeric collected from different geographical locations. The principal curcuminoid present in Curcuma is Curcumin which is chemically diferuloylmethane. Other curcuminoids are Demethoxycurcumin (4-hydroxycinnamoyl- (feruloyl) methane and Bisdemethoxycurcumin (bis (4- hydroxycinnamoyl) methane).

Bioavailability of Curcumin

Bioavailability is not a common term for a layman.  So bioavailability is the prerequisite that determines the action of a drug. It is the rate at which a drug is absorbed in the body and reaches the target site. Extensive research has been carried out to study the bioavailability of curcumin and it is found out that generally the curcumin is absorbed less in the body and most part of it is excreted unchanged through the feces. Hence to achieve the desired results it is required to be taken in a high dose. Studies have shown that curcumin is safe and tolerable even at a dose of 12g /day. Practically such high doses are impossible to administer. Hence several plans of action have been propagated to improve the solubility in water and hence the oral bioavailability of curcumin. The bioavailability of curcumin can be enhanced in combination with piperine, an active component in black pepper, liposomes, and phospholipids, lecithin, or with fats like flaxseed oil. Curcumin now a day is encapsulated in several food-grade delivery systems like nanoparticles, emulsions, suspensions or hydrogel, so that the maximum amount of curcumin reaches the target site.

Health benefits of curcumin

Curcumin is a pleiotropic molecule exhibiting a wide array of health benefits. The most popularly discussed and studied properties of curcumin are immune-modulation, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, free radical scavenging, anti-microbial, anti-viral, antifungal, hypoglycemic, anti-helminthic, anticancer, wound healing, neuro-protective, anti-arthritic, chemo-protective and radio-protective action.

Does Curcumin shows any adverse effects?

Curcumin is used orally and topically for many centuries. Shreds of evidence have suggested that curcumin is safely tolerated up to a dosage of 8-12g/day. A higher dosage may induce nausea, diarrhea, or gastric problems. It should be avoided in persons with biliary tract disorders and gallstones. Curcumin possesses anti-platelet properties hence should be avoided in combination with blood-thinning medications.

Other principal components of Turmeric

Turmeric, the king of spices is treasured greatly for the essential oils in it. These wonderfully fragrant oils are extracted from the leaves and flowers of the herb and give a magical aroma and taste to the soul food. They constitute about 3-5% of turmeric. Major essentials oils are turmerones, zingiberene, sesquiterpene, curcumol, borneol, cinol. These essential oils also possess remarkable anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory properties which hastens the recovery from harrowing osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

The nutritional content of turmeric can be summarized as follows. 100g of turmeric contains energy 390 kcal, total fat of 10gm and saturated fat 3g. It’s a source of minerals like calcium 0.2 g, phosphorous 0.26g, sodium 10mg, potassium 2500mg, and iron 47.5g. Also, it contains the following vitamins riboflavin 0.19mg, niacin 4.8mg, ascorbic acid 50mg. It also contains 69.9 g total carbohydrates, 21 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugars, and 8 g protein.