Turmeric: The Golden Spice

Nutriventia & HIVITA's Technical Team

Turmeric, a golden spice used in traditional medicine for over 2,500 years, is renowned for its numerous health benefits. This potent herb, rich in curcumin, has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Consuming turmeric daily can support joint health.

Recent studies on turmeric are promising in enhancing heart and liver function and improving gut health, along with aiding in age-related conditions. These  would require further clinical trials and cannot be claimed for manufactured supplements.

Turmeric's diverse health benefits make turmeric a valuable addition to your diet for overall wellness.

The rhizome of Curcuma longa L. commonly known as Turmeric, has been used as a medicine for more than 2500 years in Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Chinese medicine. It is a perennial herb belonging to ginger family (Zingiberaceae), a native of tropical South Asia¹. There are approximately 133 species of Curcuma, 40 of which have their origin in India. The plant requires temperatures between 20 – 30^oC with a considerable amount of annual rainfall².  Though various parts of the plant (rhizomes, leaf, stem, flower and herbaceous material) have been used in traditional medicine, the most important seems to be the rhizome (Turmeric) which has a high nutritional value³.

These are collected annually for their rhizomes and are reseeded for the subsequent season. The rhizomes mature beneath the foliage in the ground. They are yellowish brown with a dull orange interior. When the turmeric rhizome is dried, it can be ground to a yellow powder with a bitter, slightly acrid, yet sweet taste². It is a characterized by a high content of total carbohydrates and protein. It is rich in essential amino acids but not as much as other Zingiberaceae species. It is an important source of macro and micro elements (calcium, potassium, sodium and iron), vitamins, active substances – polyphenolic compounds (curcuminoids), alkaloids, saponins, tannins, phytic acids and flavonoids. Curcuminoids include curcumin, desmethoxycurcumin, bisdemethoxycurcumin, and cyclocurcumin³. Curcumin (diferuloylmethane) is the major quantitative and biologically important curcuminoid found in turmeric. It seems to offer a promising therapeutic potential and is considered as a Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) material, with a stable metabolism and low toxicity⁴.  

India produces almost all of the world's turmeric crop and utilizes 80% of it. The high content of curcumin makes Indian turmeric, the best in the world. Erode, a city in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu is the world’s largest producer of turmeric and is therefore also known as the “Yellow city” or the “Turmeric city”².

Approximately, 41000 papers have been published on curcumin and turmeric. These publications in recognized peer reviewed sources have reported an array of pharmacological properties of curcumin such as: antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidiabetic, hypocholesterolemic, antithrombotic, antihepatotoxic, anti-diarrheal, carminative, diuretic, antirheumatic, hypotensive, antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, larvicidal, insecticidal, antivenomous, and antityrosinase effects, among others⁴.  ( Note: These studies  though comprehensive  and with  promising results require  more clinical trials and cannot be claimed on manufactured supplements) .

For HIVITA Happy Energy Turmeric capsule product benefits: https://hivita.com.au/products/turmeric

The two primary mechanisms which explain the majority of the health benefits associated with curcumin are its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties⁴. Health effects of consuming turmeric on a daily basis

Curcumin and joint health

Turmeric extracts have been found to be effective in maintaining joint health. Studies reveal that curcumin may help decrease joint pain by inhibiting certain inflammatory pathways thereby suggesting potential benefits in managing arthritic associated inflammation⁶. 

Due to the multiple health benefits turmeric offers, it has received a lot of attention from the medical, scientific and culinary experts who have labelled turmeric as “golden spice” or “spice of life”².

1. Vinod, A., Nandan, N., Sunil, Raj. N., Soundarya, V. Turmeric – The Serendipitous Herb : A review (2018). Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medical Sciences, 3 (6) : 114-124
2. Prasad, S., Aggarwal, B. B. Turmeric, the Golden Spice. From traditional medicine to modern medicine (2011). In: Herbal medicine : Biomolecular and Clinical aspects 2^nd Edition (ed.) Benzie, IFF., Wachtel-Galor S. 1-24
3. Kepinska-Pacelik, J., Biel, W. Turmeric and curcumin – Health-promoting properties in Humans versus Dogs. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24, 1-24
4. Sharifi-Rad, J., Rayess, Y, E., Rizk, A. A., Sadaka, C., Zgheib, R., Zam, W., et al. Turmeric and its major compound curcumin on health : bioactive effects and safety profiles for food, pharmaceutical, biotechnological and medicinal applications (2020). Frontiers in Pharmacology. 11, 1-23
5. Islam, R., Rauf, A., Akash, S., Trisha, S. I., Nasim, A. H., Akter, M., et al. Targeted therapies of curcumin focus on its therapeutic benefits in cancers and human health : Molecular signalling pathway-based approaches and future perspectives. Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy. 170, 1-20
6. Peng, Y., Ao, M., Dong, B., Jiang, Y., Yu, L., Chen, Z., et al. Anti-inflammatory effects of curcumin in the inflammatory diseases : Status, Limitations and Countermeasures (2021). Drug, Design, Development and Therapy. 15, 4503-4525