What Is Curcumin?

Most people know that curcumin can fight inflammation, but it's also been reported to help slow and prevent Alzheimer's disease. In India, it's been used to treat a range of illnesses from asthma to anorexia. It also has anti-microbial properties and may fight depression caused by inflammation... the list goes on and on.

What's the Difference Between Curcumin & Turmeric?

Turmeric is a root that looks similar to ginger but is bright yellow. It's usually found in a powdered form and is used as a spice to flavor dishes like curry. It also has a ton of other uses, like for beauty.

Turmeric is a source of curcumin, which is what gives it its signature golden color. Curcumin has great anti-inflammatory properties and has been used in functional medicine for years.

Why Take Curcumin?

Turmeric only contains 2-5% curcumin, which is why people take curcumin supplements. It's important to pick your curcumin supplements carefully because curcumin is typically poorly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract. It doesn't stay in your bloodstream long, and most of your organs actively try to get rid of it.

In other words, there's a limit to how much curcumin your body can absorb and use.

That's the issue of "bioavailability" you'll see if you Google "curcumin absorption" (I know it shows up because I Googled it too). The most popular way to increase the absorption of turmeric is to pair it with black pepper, but for effective curcumin absorption (AKA to have an actual impact), it takes more than that.

What Type of Curcumin Do I Buy & from Where?

My favorite place to buy health foods is Vitacost. They have really low prices, fast (2 day!) free shipping*, and a TON of products. Honestly, one of my favorite time-wasting things to do (shhh) is to browse their new arrivals (it's how I stay updated on a lot of new things!).

It's important to me that I do careful research on supplements — not only because they're not FDA-regulated, but also because I don't want to waste my money on supplements that don't work. I trust Vitacost to carry affordable and reputable supplements at a great price.

They have this brand called Solgar Curcumin, which has capsules of curcumin with 185x better bioavailability than native curcumin extract. This is because it uses micelles (for you non-chemistry nerds, they're tiny, water-loving spheres) which provide longer circulation, better permeability, and resistance to metabolic processes.

Anyway, you can get 30 liquid soft gels of Solgar Curcumin for only $22 on Vitacost. Click here to shop!

I've been pairing Solgar softgels with my daily turmeric tonic (ACV, tumeric, black pepper, lemon, manuka honey, cayenne, water) and turmeric fried eggs, not in place of it.

*on orders >$50

Superfood Turmeric Paleo Pancakes Recipe

Serves: 1 | Paleo, vegetarian, gluten free, grain free | Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

(click on the links to shop!)

• 1/4 cup Birch Benders Paleo pancake mix
• 1 tbsp Barleans flaxseed meal
• 1 scoop Vital Proteins collagen peptides
• 1 tsp each turmeric, cinnamon, vanilla extract, reishi, maca powder
• Pinch Himalayan sea salt and black pepper
• 1/4 cup water or unsweetened dairy-free milk
• Toppings: almond/pecan butter (I love Georgia Grinders — use AP20 for 20% off!), dairy-free yogurt, sprouted sunflower seeds, macadamia nuts, bee pollen, blueberries....anything your heart desires

Directions

1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Slowly add in liquid and stir gently until all clumps are dissolved. The consistency should be thick but still liquidy.
2. Heat up a non-stick pan over medium heat. Place spoonfuls of batter into the pan.
3. Cook on low-medium heat for 1-2 minutes per side, then flip.
4. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: This post contains some affiliate links. I've scoured the web to find the cheapest prices for you, and these are all products I have purchased myself in the past. All purchases you make via these links go directly toward maintaining this blog — thanks in advance for your ongoing support!