Turmeric or curcuma longa is a perennial herb with tufted leaves. It is used by almost one billion people worldwide daily as a spice and for other medicinal purposes.
It comes from the ginger plant family called Zingiberaceae, native to India. Research over the past decade has highlighted that turmeric has the potential to reduce the risk of medical conditions such as arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.
It is not only effective against serious diseases but has proven itself beneficial in other medical conditions because of its antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antioxidant, and anti-cancer properties.
With an amalgamation of unbeatable qualities, it has become widely popular as a herbal supplement. The global turmeric market for 2027 is valued at $ 5.65 billion!
Wondering and planning to try it but need to know what exactly it does to your body’s internal system, then you have come to the right place. Ozia presents a brief biological guide on how turmeric impacts your health.
We hope this guide will help you make a better decision and eliminate doubts relating to turmeric. Let’s begin!
Scavenging Free Radicals
Turmeric has multiple chemical compounds that make it beneficial for health. Curcumin is one such compound that is found in large quantities and has a significant antioxidant impact.
Curcumin is an excellent scavenger for most of the reactive oxidative species or ROS. Peroxides, hydroxyl radical, superoxide are few examples of ROS. They are all highly reactive and not needed in the body.
ROS causes serious issues including but not limited to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, aging, and other neurodegenerative diseases. So what curcumin does is kind of mellows down these radicals, especially peroxyl radicals.
Let us look at a simple chemical process between peroxyl radicals and curcumin- when peroxyl radicals react with curcumin, the reaction produces a less reactive compound. Therefore, causing protection from ROS’s impact.
This mechanism has proven effective in arthritis. This is because ROS causes an inflammation reaction.
To substantiate turmeric’s effectiveness further, here’s a study for you:
A randomized clinical trial via meta-analysis conducted by JW Daily and the team in 2016 showed how curcumin administration helped in alleviating symptoms of joint arthritis.
Nontoxic Gastroprotective Agent
Gastric issues are no secret. It is all fun until the issues become an integral part of your everyday life. Heartburn, incontinence, pain in the stomach, constipation, diarrhea, and much more persist amongst people around the world. 
The problems don’t quite stop with digestion. Did you know that globally gastric cancer is the second leading cause of death after lung cancer? In pursuit of treatments, many animal studies have shown a positive impact on preventing chemical-induced gastric carcinogenesis.
The anti-cancer property comes with time and dose. Chemically speaking, turmeric curcumin mediates its anti-cancer properties against B(a)P-carcinogens by decreasing the enzymes involved in activation of such carcinogens and increasing enzymes that detoxify carcinogens.
Wondering what B(a)P is? According to the International Agency for Research on Cancer, B(a)P or Benzo(a)Pyrene is a Group 1 human carcinogen. The biggest problem concerning B(a)P is its attack on the immune system. It can attack the first line of defense of the body leading to bacterial infections.
There’s More When It Comes To Digestion
Peptic Ulcers!
Every year, over half a million people are diagnosed with PUD or peptic ulcer disease in the US alone. It is a condition caused by gastrointestinal mucosa or GI.
Enter our beloved turmeric in the picture. In a clinical trial, 600-mg turmeric root was given to PUD patients five times a day. Results? Phenomenal. Within 4 weeks, 48% and within 12 weeks, over 76% of patients reported improvement of symptoms.
A word of caution, the turmeric dosage reference should not be taken from the above study. We have covered the daily turmeric dosage in detail here.
It Is Very Effective But What About Side Effects?
That’s a brilliant question. Yes, it attacks the free radicals and B(a)P but is it a flawless solution for all your health issues?
Of course not. Due to high oxalate concentration, turmeric can cause kidney stones. Be mindful to take it in a controlled amount.
According to the Medical News Today newsletter, pregnant and lactating women can take turmeric as a powder. For example, adding small quantities in the curry or your veggies. It is preferred that during pregnancy, supplements are avoided. Best practice would be to consult your physician once.
If you’re taking medicines such as blood thinners, antidepressants, antihistamines then avoid it. Turmeric can interact negatively with them in some cases.
This brings us to an antithesis of turmeric. Remember its gastroprotective agent? Well, if taken in large quantities, it can aggravate acid reflux and cause an upset stomach.
Please don’t be afraid after seeing the other side of turmeric. Information helps in getting a clear vision and facilitates better decision making. Keep a check on your intake and harness the benefits of turmeric.
The best way to do it is adding an innovative slick to your daily consumption. Our very own turmeric candy! It helps you keep a track of how much you take every time you pop a delightful, tangy dose. Isn’t that cool?
Wait, there’s more! We have a special offer just for you at the end of this short guide but before that, a concluding remark
What’s The Verdict?
Turmeric’s biochemical mechanism has been widely studied. Our little biological guide is a short drive into the pool of magic that the yellow spice has to offer.
If you’re planning your health journey, turmeric is a good place to start with if you haven’t already. It is an accessible and affordable herbal solution. It can be used in diverse ways and for diverse occasions.
To motivate yourself further, remember when you pick that yellow beauty, you’re not only choosing health but a thousand years old culture emanating from countries like India and China
As a customer, you have plenty of options to choose from. Our favorite? The tasty, tangy, and flavourful turmeric candy. Every candy is a burst of health benefits. Say bye to your digestive issues or that pain, not to mention it is so easy to prepare on-the-go! Just grab a pack on your way out the door.
As promised, surprise for you. You can get 50% off on your turmeric candy box! Just use the coupon- “turmericchallenge”. One box is equal to 48 days of turmeric. Take our Ozia Turmeric Candy for 48 days and see if it helps those achy joints, back problems and general mobility.
It’s a limited offer, so hurry!!
References:
Can I Take Turmeric Everyday? (2021, May 28). Ozia Originals. https://oziaoriginals.com/everyday-turmeric-dose/
Clark, R. S., Pellom, S. T., Booker, B., Ramesh, A., Zhang, T., Shanker, A., Maguire, M., Juarez, P. D., Matthews-Juarez, P., Langston, M. A., Lichtveld, M. Y., & Hood, D. B. (2016). Validation of Research Trajectory 1 of an Exposome Framework: Exposure to benzo(a)pyrene confers enhanced susceptibility to bacterial infection. Environmental Research, 146, 173–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2015.12.027
Daily, J. W., Yang, M., & Park, S. (2016). Efficacy of Turmeric Extracts and Curcumin for Alleviating the Symptoms of Joint Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials. Journal of Medicinal Food, 19(8), 717–729. https://doi.org/10.1089/jmf.2016.3705
Eichenseher, J. (2018). Peptic Ulcer Disease. In www.sciencedirect.com. Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780323358682000438
Hardonnière, K., Saunier, E., Lemarié, A., Fernier, M., Gallais, I., Héliès-Toussaint, C., Mograbi, B., Antonio, S., Bénit, P., Rustin, P., Janin, M., Habarou, F., Ottolenghi, C., Lavault, M.-T., Benelli, C., Sergent, O., Huc, L., Bortoli, S., & Lagadic-Gossmann, D. (2016). The environmental carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene induces a Warburg-like metabolic reprogramming dependent on NHE1 and associated with cell survival. Scientific Reports, 6(1), 30776. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep30776
Turmeric: Global Market Size 2016. (n.d.). Statista. Retrieved August 5, 2021, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/738150/global-turmeric-market-size/
Yashavanth, H., Haniadka, R., Rao, S., Rao, P., Alva, A., Palatty, P., & Baliga, M. (2018). Turmeric and Its Principal Polyphenol Curcumin as a Nontoxic Gastroprotective Agent: Recent Update. Polyphenols: Prevention and Treatment of Human Disease, 319–325. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-813008-7.00027-8