Native to southern Asia, turmeric is a perennial herbaceous plant belonging to the Zingiberaceae family. This plant is particularly prized for its rhizomes (underground parts), from which the famous yellow-orange spice is obtained. Though this spice is known above all for its use as food, turmeric also boasts innumerable health benefits that have recently emerged, with increasing confirmation from the scientific community that continues to deepen our knowledge of its peculiar characteristics. Used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine for many centuries, turmeric was traditionally used to stimulate digestion and treat digestive disorders. In fact, turmeric acts in particular by increasing bile secretion, thus allowing easier digestion, also revealing itself as an important support to liver efficiency and detoxification. However, it’s not only due to its interesting therapeutic actions that turmeric has been the subject of countless scientific research investigations. Researchers have succeeded in isolating the origins of turmeric’s innumerable benefits: the “curcuminoids”. Among these molecules, curcumin is the most present in turmeric and the best documented in the scientific literature. In fact, curcumin is known for its significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. As an antioxidant, curcumin can counteract the free radicals responsible for cellular aging and which promote the onset of various diseases. Its anti-inflammatory action mechanisms to combat acute and chronic inflammations are well-known and have been thoroughly explained, especially for joints, where curcumin has shown excellent support for joint health, improving functionality, flexibility and mobility, as well as being anti-inflammatory, as already evidenced for health problems such as arthritis.
