1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,760 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: Stuff lauringvogal bomb here. Turmeric, a particular staple of Indian 3 00:00:11,240 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: and Middle Eastern cuisine, has gone totally mainstream in recent years. 4 00:00:15,080 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: You can find recipes including it and everything from curries 5 00:00:17,600 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 1: and soups to tea and smoothies. Turmeric gives curry powder 6 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 1: it's bright yellow color, but in addition to flavoring dishes. 7 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 1: This spice has been used medicinally and in religious ceremonies 8 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: for more than four thousand years. The plant is a 9 00:00:30,440 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 1: relative of ginger and has grown predominantly in India, though 10 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:36,239 Speaker 1: it's also farmed in other parts of Asia and Central America. 11 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: Of the world's crop is consumed in India, where it's 12 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:43,720 Speaker 1: part of the standard daily diet. Some people are skeptical 13 00:00:43,760 --> 00:00:47,760 Speaker 1: of turmeric's glowing reputation. However, after all, we've gotten hyped 14 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:50,480 Speaker 1: up about things like fish oil supplements and coconut oil before, 15 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:53,400 Speaker 1: only to have our hopes completely dashed or at least 16 00:00:53,440 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 1: tamped down quite a bit when scientists have studied them. 17 00:00:56,960 --> 00:00:59,280 Speaker 1: So what about turmeric? Is it more than just a 18 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:03,400 Speaker 1: food fat? Turmeric has been part of ayur Veda, a 19 00:01:03,440 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 1: branch of alternative medicine that treats mind, body, and spirit 20 00:01:06,360 --> 00:01:09,440 Speaker 1: together four thousands of years, it's thought to improve the 21 00:01:09,480 --> 00:01:14,039 Speaker 1: overall energy of the body, much like modern day prescription drugs. 22 00:01:14,200 --> 00:01:18,160 Speaker 1: Turmeric has an active ingredient called Kirkaman. Kirkoman is the 23 00:01:18,200 --> 00:01:20,240 Speaker 1: reason to umeric is claimed to help with a litany 24 00:01:20,280 --> 00:01:23,920 Speaker 1: of health issues like digest and regulation, hay fever, skin issues, 25 00:01:23,959 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 1: breathing problems, gas relief, PMS, back pain, and even Alzheimer's. 26 00:01:28,200 --> 00:01:31,319 Speaker 1: Turmeric has been hailed for its anti inflammatory properties, much 27 00:01:31,360 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 1: like ginger. Turmeric seems to block inflammatory cytokinds and enzymes 28 00:01:35,680 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: within cells in your body, but does science back this up. 29 00:01:40,640 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: One small randomized study of forty five patients with rhematoid 30 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: arthritis gave five milligrams of Kirkhoman to one group of patients, 31 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,080 Speaker 1: while a second group of patients was given fifty milligrams 32 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:55,120 Speaker 1: of diclofenic sodium and anti inflammatory drug. A third group 33 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 1: got both treatments. While all three groups experienced to reduction 34 00:01:58,800 --> 00:02:01,280 Speaker 1: in swelling and tenderness of their joints, the group that 35 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: got only Kirkoman had the most improvement. Another randomized study 36 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 1: from of a hundred and seven patients with osteo arthritis 37 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:11,240 Speaker 1: in the knee compared a group of patients who were 38 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:13,680 Speaker 1: given a thousand milligrams of Kirkhoman with patients who were 39 00:02:13,680 --> 00:02:17,880 Speaker 1: given eight hundred milligrams of iboprofin. The scientists found that 40 00:02:17,919 --> 00:02:19,680 Speaker 1: there was a similar rate of reduction in pain when 41 00:02:19,760 --> 00:02:24,160 Speaker 1: walking for both groups. Nevertheless, the National Institutes of Health 42 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:27,160 Speaker 1: says that claims of the anti inflammatory properties of turmeric 43 00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:30,320 Speaker 1: and kirkoman have yet to be validated by strong studies. 44 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:34,080 Speaker 1: That's not to say that turmeric doesn't relieve inflammation, just 45 00:02:34,240 --> 00:02:39,680 Speaker 1: that science hasn't yet definitively determined whether it does or not. Indeed, 46 00:02:39,840 --> 00:02:42,040 Speaker 1: turmeric is still being looked at for this and the 47 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:45,880 Speaker 1: number of other benefits. The NIH also notes the preliminary 48 00:02:45,919 --> 00:02:48,720 Speaker 1: studies show that kirkuminoids could lower the number of post 49 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:51,919 Speaker 1: surgery heart attacks and bypass patients, and also reduced the 50 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: skin irritation that often occurs after radiation treatments for breast cancer. 51 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: Another promising used for turmeric maybe depression. We spoke via 52 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: email with Melissa Majumdar, a registered dietitian spokesperson for the 53 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:07,560 Speaker 1: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and nutrition coordinator at Berghaman 54 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:11,760 Speaker 1: Women's Hospital in Boston. She said turmeric and depression has 55 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:14,080 Speaker 1: not been studied on a long term basis, but in 56 00:03:14,160 --> 00:03:17,720 Speaker 1: six to eight week trials, participants demonstrated improved symptoms when 57 00:03:17,760 --> 00:03:22,120 Speaker 1: taking turmeric alongside their antidepressant. One six week study showed 58 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:24,679 Speaker 1: Kirkman was almost as effective as the drug flu oxytine 59 00:03:24,760 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 1: or prozac and relieving depression and didn't cause that drug 60 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:32,320 Speaker 1: side effects like thoughts of suicide. Even if the medical 61 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,680 Speaker 1: establishment is not giving turmeric, it's full endorsement, yet there's 62 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: not much to lose by trying the spice for medicinal purposes. 63 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,040 Speaker 1: The NIH has declared its active ingredients to be generally 64 00:03:42,080 --> 00:03:45,880 Speaker 1: considered safe. However, it warns that high doses or long 65 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 1: term use may cause guest or intestinal problems. So how 66 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:52,600 Speaker 1: much might you take? Since one teaspoon of turmeric has 67 00:03:52,600 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 1: two milligrams of Kirkman, you need to add about three 68 00:03:55,600 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 1: teaspoons to your food each day. You can also buy 69 00:03:58,720 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: the active ingredient Kirkman as a supplement in health food stores. 70 00:04:02,320 --> 00:04:04,560 Speaker 1: A dose of five hundred to one thousand milligrams each 71 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:08,119 Speaker 1: day can help you fight body inflammation, but be sure 72 00:04:08,160 --> 00:04:09,600 Speaker 1: to let your doctor know if you're going to be 73 00:04:09,640 --> 00:04:13,880 Speaker 1: taking Kirkman because Kirkuman supplements often have an ingredient called piperine, 74 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:16,920 Speaker 1: which increases kirkumen absorption in your body, but may also 75 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:19,440 Speaker 1: slow down the elimination of some prescription drugs that you 76 00:04:19,520 --> 00:04:22,360 Speaker 1: might be taking for conditions like seizures and high blood pressure. 77 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:25,760 Speaker 1: This low metabolism in your body can make those drugs toxic. 78 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:33,120 Speaker 1: Today's episode was written by Ali A Hoyt and produced 79 00:04:33,160 --> 00:04:35,360 Speaker 1: by Tyler Clang. The brain Stuff is a production of 80 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:37,400 Speaker 1: I Heart Radio's How Stuff Works. For more in this 81 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:39,560 Speaker 1: and lots of other topics, visit our home planet, how 82 00:04:39,560 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: stuff Works dot com. And for more podcasts from my 83 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the I heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, 84 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:46,680 Speaker 1: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.