Turmeric Supplements

Turmeric root is a spice that has been used not only for culinary purposes, but also medicinally, for thousands of years. It grows much like ginger, as they from the same family of plants, where the roots or rhizome are dug up and consumed. Though turmeric is typically used as an anti-inflammatory, due to its high levels of curcuminoids, it can in fact support the body in a number of other ways.

In 2017, Foods reported that curcumin—one of the active constituents of turmeric root—is useful for the treatment of anxiety, metabolic syndrome, oxidative stress and exercise-induced muscle soreness. So if you’ve been doing a lot of squatting, deadlifting or bench-pressing lately, this will help to take the sting out of the muscles that sometimes doesn’t hit until day two or three. Being a strong natural anti-inflammatory it is also useful for the alleviation of inflammatory conditions, such as osteoarthritis.

The curcumin phytochemical found in turmeric root naturally has a poor bioavailability, meaning that absorption from the inside of the intestine to the blood is minimal, most of it ending up passing through the bowels and out via the stool. Many of the more recent preparations have given this careful consideration when formulating their product, ensuring that either black pepper, Ultrasol (water-solubilising technology) or a curcumin-phospholipid complex is used to significantly enhance bioavailability.