How to use curcumin to relieve pain and inflammation

Turmeric is a spice used for thousands of years, especially in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines, which have used it as a treatment for inflammatory conditions (arthritis and chronic pain). Yellow-orange in color, it is widely used in the kitchen to color, season and preserve food. In the European Union its use as a food coloring is authorized with the code E100.

More than 200 chemical components have been identified in turmeric, mainly phenolic compounds and terpenes, among which stands out curcumin, the most abundant and active polyphenol of the curcuminoid family.

6 benefits of curcumin

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric, with numerous biological properties. In recent decades, it has aroused scientific interest and numerous studies agree in accepting its properties. It is considered a chemopreventive substance due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial action.

Its bioavailability is guaranteed in the presence of piperine (a compound of black pepper) and in a fatty medium. Current pharmaceutical supplements recommend it as an analgesic and complement their formulas with black pepper, imitating its traditional use in the kitchen in the form of curry or a mixture of various spices dissolved in some vegetable oil.

1. Promotes good digestion

The European Medicines Agency (EMA, 2018) and the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS, 2020) approve its use to increase bile secretion in the indigestion treatment: feeling of fullness, flatulence and slow digestion.

It favors digestion, since it stimulates the stomach to secrete more gastric acid. Also favors the good state of the microbiota, improves intestinal permeability, reduces infections of the gastric mucosa and inflammation of the intestine. Today it is used against irritable bowel and Crohn’s disease.

2. It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects

Curcumin has the ability to intercept and neutralize the main oxidizing agents (superoxides, peroxyls, hydroxyl radicals, nitric oxide…), and increases the bioavailability of antioxidant vitamins A and E. It also protects against inflammation derived from diseases and from stress.

Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties appear to slow the spread of numerous tumor lines and inhibit metastasis.. Appears to increase the effectiveness of chemo and protect healthy cells from radiation therapy.

3. It is used against pain

Its antioxidant capacity reduces inflammation and joint stiffness in people withn rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia and gout. Along the same lines, it is used as an analgesic to relieve muscle pain.

4. Protects against cardiovascular diseases

Protects against arteriosclerosislowers bad LDL cholesterol, it helps lower blood pressure, inhibits platelet aggregation, and increases coenzyme Q10 concentrations, which benefits the heart.

5. Helps take care of the liver

Improves liver function, as its antioxidant properties prevent excess fats and toxins that overload the liver. It is appropriate for people with fatty liver or who need to take strong medications on a regular basis.

6. It is effective against neurodegenerative diseases

Its proven broad-spectrum antioxidant effects make curcumin a great protector against senile plaques, with the added advantage that it also does not cause any gastrointestinal or liver overload.

Other therapeutic indications

It is considered an inhibitor of fibrogenesis, it improves tissues in renal, pulmonary, intestinal and hepatic fibrosis. In diabetes, it seems to optimize glucose levels and the activity of the pancreas. It can relieve premenstrual symptoms.

What is the recommended amount of curcumin?

Although the European Food Safety Authority sets a daily intake of turmeric at about 210 mg, therapeutic doses are usually much higher: 400-600 mg three times a day (60 g of fresh root or 15 g of turmeric powder).

In any case, it is not toxic, although above 8 g per day can cause digestive discomfort: nausea, abdominal pain, flatulence, gastric irritation and diarrhea. It is contraindicated in pregnancy and if anticoagulant drugs are taken.