Stance-Equitec Turmericle Powder

FAQ

Facts about Curcumin.

• Curcumin is not water soluble and is poorly absorbed from the intestines. Even when Curcumin is absorbed, it is rapidly metabolised by the liver  and excreted. Therefore there are low circulating serum curcumin levels, limited tissue distribution and a short half life. Curcumin therefore has a low bioavailability.

• Curcumin absorption. Curcumin is fat soluble. It is not water soluble.  Feeding together with an oil therefore assists the passage of Curcumin across the intestinal endothelial wall, and the microbial biofilm.  Polyunsaturated oils and monosaturated oils (olive oil) are absorbed and slowly transported through the lymphatics to the liver. By comparison, the saturated tropical oils (coconut oil) enter the portal blood and transported quickly to the liver. These medium chain triglycerides do not require the CPT enzyme to enter the liver, and so are rapidly metabolized. Coconut oil is the prefered oil.

• Curcumin metabolism in the liver. Curcumin is treated as a foreign substance by the liver. It is therefore rapidly metabolised and excreted.  Piperine in black pepper blocks curcumin excretion by the liver and increases Curcumin bioavailability.

Types of turmeric.

There are several types of turmeric each with different properties. Turmeric contains an array of active ingredients in the oil, protein and starch. It is thought that these ingredients have a major effect

1. Curcuma longa (Alleppey and Madras denoting the region it came from). This is the common form of turmeric.  Curcuma longa is the traditional type of turmeric commonly used in cooking, foodstuffs, cosmetics and medicine. More than 100 compounds have been isolated from turmeric, including turmeric oil containing turmerone, borneol, zingiberene, and sesquiterpenes as well as curcuminoids. Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant effects on gastrointestinal and liver functions. Interest surrounds the effects of curcumin in inflammatory bowel disease. Curcuminoids are being trailed in a number of studies for arthritis, obesity, cognitive disorders, cancer and wound healing.
2. Curcuma xanthorrhiza contains many bioactive compounds, such as curcuminoids, camphor, geranyl acetate, zerumbone,Curcuma xanthorrhiza, also known as Java turmeric, has been used as a traditional medicinal plant in some tropical countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia.  Javanese turmeric contains curcuminoids similar to those in curcuma longa. However, it also contains a number of differing oils and bioactive compounds such as camphor, zerumbone, β-curcumene, zingiberene, ar-curcumene and xanthorrhizol. Research demonstrates that xanthorrhizol, similar to ar-turmerone in curcuma longa, enhances the bioavailability of curcumin.
3. Curcuma amada (mango)

Does curcumin content matter

• Curcumin content is reported to vary from 1-7%.
• Does Curcumin content really matter?  There are hundreds of observations from all over the world of the beneficial effects of feeding turmeric to horses and dogs as reported on the Turmeric User Group Facebook site.    There would be many types of turmeric with variable Curcumin content used in these reports, and yet responses are consistently being observed. This suggests that Curcumin content cannot be considered alone.
• Claims that turmeric with a Curcumin content above 5% are superior are considered marketing ploys. There is no evidence to support these claims.  Have they actually tested the product.  Is it tested wet or dry.  Do they know how the rhizomes have been treated.   These factors affect the turmeric content.