Why Turmeric and Black Pepper is a powerful combination
While turmeric is a flavorsome spice that is nutritious to consume, it has also traditionally been used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine to treat inflammatory conditions, skin diseases, wounds, digestive ailments, and liver conditions.
Anti-inflammatory properties
The Arthritis Foundation cites several studies in which turmeric has reduced inflammation.
This anti-inflammatory ability might reduce the aggravation that people with arthritis feel in their joints.
The foundation suggests taking turmeric capsules of 400 to 600 milligrams (mg) up to three times per day for inflammation relief.
Pain relief
Turmeric is thought of as a pain reliever. The spice is reputed to relieve arthritis pain as well.
Studies seem to support turmeric for pain relief, with one study noting that it seemed to work as well as ibuprofen (Advil) in people with arthritis in their knees.
Though dosing recommendations seem to vary, those who participated in the study took 800 mg of turmeric in capsule form each day.
Improving liver function
Turmeric has been getting attention recently because of its antioxidant abilities.
The antioxidant effect of turmeric appears to be so powerful that it may stop your liver from being damaged by toxins. This could be good news for people who take strong drugs for diabetes or other health conditions that might hurt their liver with long-term use.
Digestion
Turmeric can help digestion.
Turmeric adds flavor to food, which explains its presence in curry powder. However, turmeric can also play an important role in digesting that food.
The spice can contribute to healthy digestion as a result of its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Turmeric is used in Ayurvedic medicine as a digestive healing agent. Western medicine has now begun to study how turmeric can help with gut inflammation and gut permeability, two measures of digestive efficiency.
The spice is even being explored as a treatment for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
Black Pepper
Black pepper contains the bioactive compound piperine, which is an alkaloid like capsaicin, the active component found in chili powder and cayenne pepper.
Piperine has been shown to help relieve nausea, headaches and poor digestion and also has anti-inflammatory properties.
Still, its most significant benefit may be its ability to boost the absorption of curcumin.
Unfortunately, the curcumin in turmeric is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. As a result, you could be missing out on its advantages to health.
However, adding black pepper can help. Research supports that combining the piperine in black pepper with the curcumin in turmeric enhances curcumin absorption by up to 2,000%.
One study showed that adding 20 mg of piperine to 2 grams of curcumin increased its absorption significantly.
There are currently two theories on how this works.
First, piperine makes it easier for curcumin to pass through the intestinal wall and into your bloodstream.
Second, it may slow down the breakdown of curcumin by the liver, increasing its blood levels.
As a result, combining curcumin with piperine increases its potential health benefits.
