It has been said that turmeric is the “new coconut oil,” so you may be looking for the best turmeric supplement to try.

Turmeric has now gotten trendy, so you will likely see more and more articles about the healthy spice, especially involving celebrities. For example, actress Julianne Hough swears by turmeric as a natural teeth whitener, even though turmeric itself is a bright orange.

The question is: Does turmeric help support improved brain function, and what is the best way to take turmeric?

You can call it a root or call it a spice, but the bottom line is that turmeric is something you can find at the spice rack of your local grocery store. It is often used to flavor Indian food.

Turmeric the plant is a relative to ginger, and actually, the root looks a bit like ginger until you cut it open and find the bright orange underneath.

Turmeric, also known as the “Golden Goddess,” has been used for possibly thousands of years in Ayurveda, the 5,000-year-old health system of India. In Ayurveda, people have constitutions that are categorized by the three main “doshas,” Vata, Pitta, and Kapha. Turmeric is one of those rare substances known to balance all three doshas.

One of the most common uses of turmeric in Ayurveda was for wound healing, bruises, and inflamed joints. As a cold remedy, turmeric was mixed with boiled milk and sugar (to sweeten the taste as turmeric does not taste that great on its own.)

Turmeric for Brain Health

Turmeric for Brain Health

Turmeric is best known as an anti-inflammatory due to the active substance curcumin found in the root. As you may already know, anti-inflammatories by their very nature can help improve cognitive function.

There have been some studies that show that curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, can help improve both spatial and non-spatial memory.

Does Turmeric Really Work?

Does Turmeric Really Work

Turmeric has been used for generations to treat all sorts of diseases. Unfortunately, if you look up the Wikipedia article on turmeric, you will find it dismisses any sort of positive benefits of turmeric with statements like:

“From clinical research, there is no high-quality evidence that turmeric has medicinal properties.”

Wikipedia, unfortunately, has been hijacked lately by hardline skeptics who are extremely antagonistic to traditional medicine as well as herbal supplements. Some healthcare freedom advocates speculate that this is a not-so-veiled plot by pharmaceutical companies with deep pockets who want to destroy competition.

Does that sound crazy? Why would it? Companies spend billions of dollars per year on advertising, why wouldn’t they hire some writers to go and edit the largest free encyclopedia on the Internet to trash their main competition?

Drug companies will also go to Wikipedia to delete bad information about their products, which is what AstraZeneca allegedly did over an entry saying that their drug might make teenagers more prone to suicide.

The bottom line is that turmeric has been used successfully for thousands of years, and you can get it at your local grocery store in the spice rack, for cheap. So, don’t let anonymous jerks on Wikipedia stop you from trying turmeric. It’s been in the diet in India for a long time, so it is a relatively safe food substance that can potentially help your brain.

What is the Best Turmeric Supplement?

What is the Best Turmeric Supplement

As we already mentioned, you can get turmeric at the grocery store. You don’t need to buy an expensive turmeric supplement, unless you absolutely hate the taste and would prefer it in pill form.

Most holistic health experts would agree, however, that the best way to get the most benefits from turmeric is not from the powdered spice in your spice rack, but from fresh turmeric root itself.

This can be difficult to find, however, at least in American grocery stores. You may be able to find turmeric root in an Asian or Indian grocery store if you happen to have one in your city.

If you can’t find the actual root, you can certainly take the turmeric spice as your supplement.

One way you can take turmeric is in the form of a “turmeric shot.” One PopSugar writer used the following recipe and then chronicled her time on it:

  • 1 tablespoon of ground turmeric
  • Freshly cracked black pepper (to help with absorption)
  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice from half a lemon
  • Coconut water

She found that being on the turmeric increased her energy and recovery time after workouts. The main downside was that the turmeric shot made her into a “pooping machine.”

Why Not Give Turmeric a Go?

With a pedigree of a thousand years and its ability to make very yummy Indian food, turmeric can be at least used as a spice in your house. Give it a try!

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This