The turmeric plant originated in Southeast Asia and India.The latter is still the largest cultivation country for turmeric today.Turmeric is the most important spice in Indian cuisine and is used to flavor and color numerous dishes.Even today, 80 percent of the global turmeric harvest is consumed in India.Turmeric is a perennial herb and belongs to the same family as ginger.Its Latin name "Curcuma longae" is an approximation of the Arabic "alkurkum", which originally means "saffron".The name alludes to the similarity to the spice saffron, which is also known for its yellow color.The roots look quite strange with their peculiar deformations and are reminiscent of ginger from the outside.With turmeric, the golden-orange color is much more intense.Turmeric has been used as a remedy in traditional Chinese medicine and Indian Ayurveda for over 4000 years.In the Ayurveda textbook «Susruta Samhita», which was published around 250 BC.The earliest written mention can be found.This textbook described a turmeric mixture used to treat food poisoning.The plant and medical knowledge reached China via Buddhist monks, where the potential of the turmeric plant as a natural remedy was quickly recognized.In traditional Chinese medicine, the turmeric plant is described as having a bitter and pungent taste and a warm medicinal effect.The turmeric plant is said to cleanse the body and give it energy.There are numerous writings on the medicinal uses of the turmeric plant, with the most detailed and scientifically verifiable descriptions dating back to the early 17th century.In the manual of orthodox surgery "Wai Ke Zheng Zong", the Chinese doctor Chen Shi-Gong (Ming Dynasty, 1555-1636) describes the successful treatment of jaundice, liver dysfunction, rheumatism, anorexia, diabetic wounds, tumors, menstrual complications and psoriasis.Turmeric came to Europe via Arab traders, where it is mainly used as a spice, as knowledge about the healing properties of the plant has hardly been handed down.So it happened that East Asian medicine had been using turmeric successfully for thousands of years, while its health-promoting importance was ignored in the western world until the late 20th century.This has now changed and there are around 4000 scientific studies on the turmeric plant that confirm the knowledge about the healing and health-promoting turmeric plant from old folk medicine.One of the most important and best-researched components of the turmeric plant is the secondary plant substance "curcumin".Curcumin is responsible for the beautiful golden yellow color of turmeric.In the food industry, curcumin has the E number E100.That's why turmeric is particularly popular for giving food its strong golden yellow color.The medical effect of the secondary plant substance has been proven in numerous studies.Curcumin is said to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects.Curcumin is widely touted as the most important ingredient in turmeric root.When supplementing with turmeric, should only the isolated curcumin be consumed?noIn addition, more than 200 other bioactive molecules and over 90 secondary plant substances can be found in the turmeric root, which mutually reinforce their effectiveness (synergy effect).Curcumin is therefore just one important ingredient among many others that can have a positive effect on the body.From a holistic point of view, it is therefore advisable not to focus exclusively on curcumin, but to take a preparation that uses the entire turmeric root.Digression: turmeric and piperine – there are always two sides to a coinDietary supplements rarely contain just one active ingredient.In addition to curcumin, most turmeric preparations also contain other active ingredients that are primarily intended to increase bioavailability.People often talk about increasing the bioavailability of turmeric when taken with piperine.Adding piperine does increase curcumin levels, but they also drop back down quickly.For a long time, piperine was considered the only way to increase the bioavailability of turmeric.In the meantime, several study results show acute side effects in test persons.Federal agencies such as the BfR (Federal Office for Risk Assessment) warn against piperine, as it has serious health disadvantages:Piperine interacts with numerous drugs and can unintentionally increase or decrease their effects.Piperine causes irritation of the stomach lining, which can lead to painful gastrointestinal symptoms.This post is a text from a company, association, organization or institution.Click here to install the «Die Ostschweiz» mobile app.