Turmeric is a bight yellow herb that’s a common ingredient in our spice racks. Although traditionally used as medicinal herb and spice in Indian food and curries, it’s now being promoted widely for many of its wonderful health-giving properties.

Turmeric is a very warming herb, used for improving digestive function with symptoms such as bloating, flatulence, indigestion, and loss of appetite. It’s also an excellent liver herb improving both phase 1 and phase 2 detoxification, as an antioxidant to protect the liver from damage, and to improve the flow of bile from the liver.

One of the main popular uses for turmeric is as an anti-inflammatory agent, often combined with Boswellia and ginger. Inflammation is a natural process, essential for healing and repair. However, chronic inflammation can be damaging and needs to be addressed. Heart disease, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease are all inflammatory disorders that may benefit from turmeric. Turmeric has been used traditionally in treating both osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis; for general inflammation e.g. pain or discomfort related to physical labour, exercise or training; inflamed skin conditions, and asthma.

Science research on turmeric is done primarily on curcumin, one of the active constituents of turmeric. Often large doses are used, which are difficult to obtain using whole turmeric powder or extract. Curcumin is poorly absorbed, but piperine from black pepper can significantly aid in its absorption. Curcumin is also fat soluble, so eating turmeric with food containing fat, e.g. curry, will also improve its absorbability.

Curcumin boosts brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a type of growth hormone in the brain that’s linked to improved brain function and a lower risk of mental health disorders such as depression and Alzheimer’s disease. There’s also some evidence to support that curcumin can boost the brain neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine, and a study in 60 depressed patients showed that curcumin was as effective as prozac in alleviating the symptoms of depression.

I started taking turmeric a few weeks ago, as I was constantly sore after my training sessions at the gym, and realised also from my DNA profile that I have a tendency towards inflammation, poor phase 2 detoxification, and low levels of BDNF. Since taking turmeric, and making a few other changes to my diet, I’m no longer suffering post-workout soreness on a daily basis – and I’m training just as hard if not harder than before.