Have you seen the turmeric craze catching on? Turmeric lattes at Nespresso cafe, 12 dollar turmeric smoothies, turmeric lotions and potions, and hyperbolic news stories and viral videos galore.
But is turmeric really that amazing? Is there any real science behind it?
The short answer is yes!
While more studies are needed on turmeric’s active ingredient curcumin and beauty treatments, preliminary research has shown turmeric to help reduce skin discoloration, inflammation in the body, reduce plaque in the brain, and provide benefits for gut health!
For those suffering with dark spots on your skin from the sun, there is some evidence that curcumin can help! But be careful, it’s bright orangey yellow color can temporarily stain.
Additionally, Behealthy.today reports that “When outside factors cause an increase in melanin production, the ACTH hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland. This hormone supports MC1R, and this is one of the proteins that stimulate melanin production. What curcumin in turmeric does is it restricts the ACTH hormone. This then reduces hyper-pigmentation and thus lightens the skin.”
Rachel Nazarian, M.D., at Schweiger Dermatology Group told Marie Claire, “As an antioxidant, it helps fight off free radicals, which add signs to skin aging. Studies have also shown that ingestion of turmeric helps protect against the aging effects of sun-damage UV radiation and the formation of wrinkles and dark spots.”
One thing to remember when taking a turmeric supplement is that it may not all get absorbed in your body, and combining the supplement with oils and fats as well as black pepper which increases the bioavailability will help. Luckily many brands include the pepper already.
Make your own turmeric facemask…
Purchase a turmeric facemask…
