Properties, Benefits and How to take it

The turmeric root, as we have mentioned before, is not only efficient in the kitchen, but it has a number of beneficial health properties that make it an excellent medicinal plant. In summary, these are the main properties of turmeric:

• Anti-inflammatory: Both applied externally and internally, it can help you suppress the activity of the molecules responsible for inflammation.
• Antioxidant: Thanks to its content in essential oil and other active ingredients, this root helps fight free radicals, which is why it is frequently used to slow the oxidation of cells.
• Hepatoprotective and choleretic: protects the liver and improves its function and, at the same time, stimulates the functioning of the gallbladder and the production of bile.
• Digestive and satiating: It helps you to carry a light digestion and prevents gastric reflux and other problems related to digestion. It also helps to feel fuller and, therefore, to avoid overeating, while digestion is better.
• Anticancer: Because it helps eliminate toxic substances and waste that accumulate in the body, it helps important organs, such as the liver, work better and it protects cells with its antioxidant properties, it is considered that this medicinal plant can help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer.
• Lipid-lowering: Turmeric helps lower cholesterol and triglycerides, as well as having antioxidant properties, so it can help protect the heart and the entire blood system.
• Antispasmodic: its composition serves to prevent muscle spasms or to relieve them until they are reduced.
• Bactericide: It is also a medicinal plant with antibacterial properties, so it helps prevent and treat some infections caused by bacteria.

All this is due to its composition rich in essential oil with turmerone and zingiberene, curcumin, curcumoids and resins. To learn more about the medicinal properties of turmeric, we recommend this other oneHOWTO article.

As you may have already noticed after reading the above, ingesting turmeric can help you against certain health problems, as well as prevent their appearance. Still don’t know exactly what are turmeric capsules for? Here we detail the main benefits of taking turmeric in capsules:

• Relieves digestive problems: It can relieve gas, inflammation, bloating and heartburn because turmeric helps you digest food, especially those with more fat to avoid heavy digestion.
• Regulates the menstrual cycle: Healing qualities are attributed to it in this situation, it also normalizes irregular cycles, increases vaginal discharge and consequently reduces pain, especially during premenstrual syndrome.
• Improves breathing: Turmeric has been used against respiratory disorders such as asthma, allergies, colds, coughs and bronchitis because it expands blood vessels, thus improving the oxygenation of your body.
• Provides benefits to the liver: It can help you prevent liver diseases such as fatty liver, cirrhosis, hepatitis … Although it is thought that way, there is still a lack of evidence on this.
• It can help prevent cancer: This is because it helps protect cells, which is why it has been linked to reducing the risk of colon, prostate, breast, duodenal and skin cancers.
• Helps prevent neurodegenerative diseases: Thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, this food can be used to prevent to some extent and to support medical treatment and, thus, reduce the symptoms of diseases such as Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s.
• Protect the heart: Turmeric prevents the accumulation of cholesterol and the formation of blood clots so it can avoid both cardiovascular and circulatory problems.
• Improves the immune system: Although it has not been studied enough in people, it is believed that turmeric could cure infections from bacteria or viruses, since it increases the defenses.
• Reduces arthritis pain: Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, it can help you reduce the pain caused by this problem. In this link you will find information on How to take turmeric for arthritis.
• Helps to lose weight: If you want to lose weight, research has indicated that using turmeric as part of a balanced diet and a healthy life with daily exercise can help you achieve your goals. This is because turmeric inhibits the growth of fatty tissue and makes it difficult to convert sugars into fatty acids. If you want to lose weight with the help of this root, we recommend this other post on How to consume turmeric to lose weight.

Here we tell you much more about what are the benefits of turmeric.

Today, turmeric can be consumed in various ways: as a powder as a condiment in meals, in infusions, applied to the skin, in the form of syrup or in the form of capsules. This last format, that of capsules, is the one that offers a high concentration of turmeric and all its components, although especially curcumin, which makes it provide the maximum benefits to your body.

It’s recommended take turmeric capsules following the directions on the package: 1 capsule a day before breakfast and use water to help swallow it. Turmeric in capsules is normally used as a food supplement, so it is recommended to consult with a doctor Before taking it or a nutritionist, the specialist will indicate the guidelines to follow to ingest them, since in each case they may vary with respect to what is indicated on the container, something that depends on the health status of each person.

In addition, it is not recommended to consume it for long periods of time, so you have to talk to your doctor about how often to take this food supplement in capsules.

Turmeric brings great benefits to your body, but there are a number of considerations to take into account, since although it does not have many contraindications, you have to be careful. So, these are the main contraindications of turmeric capsules:

• Do not abuse its consumption, as you could get diarrhea, inflammation, ulcers …
• If you suffer from kidney disease, it is not recommended to ingest turmeric without first consulting the doctor who is treating it, since it could produce an adverse effect to the one you were looking for.
• During pregnancy and lactation you should also abstain from ingesting this food, as its effects have not been fully tested.
• If you have gallstones, you should not take turmeric under any circumstances, since it stimulates the production of bile and this would further obstruct the gallbladder ducts by enlarging the stones or forming new ones.
• If you have sensitive skin, do not use turmeric topically. Although in principle you can take it in capsules, do not open them to use the powder on the skin for any type of treatment, unless you previously specify it with your doctor.

This article is merely informative, at oneHOWTO we do not have the power to prescribe any medical treatment or make any type of diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any type of condition or discomfort.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is turmeric in capsules for: properties, benefits and how to take it, we recommend that you enter our category of Medicines and supplements.

• Cebrián, J., (2012), Medicinal Plants Dictionary, Barcelona, ​​Spain, Integral RBA Libros.
• Chavez C., Roxana K., Cordova F., Lizet I., (2017), Anti-inflammatory effect of the synergistic combinations of turmeric (Curcuma longa) extract, pepper (Piper nigrum), egg yolk; in acute subplantar inflammation in rats, National University of San Agustín de Arequipa.