Carla Curcuma

We have exciting news for you! Just in time for summer we have created a new shot, which will be part of our Kaley-Family from now on. It's called Carla Curcuma - a refreshingly hot combination of orange, grapefruit, curcuma and ginger with a hint of black pepper. In this blog post we want to tell you all about the raw material curcuma.

Curcuma - what is that actually?

Curcuma, also known as turmeric, is a root from the ginger family. It comes from India, where it has been part of traditional medicine for centuries. The root is dried, processed into powder and used in this form mainly as a component of spice mixtures. For example, curcuma gives the curry spice its bright yellow colour. The taste of the root is spicy-hot with a slightly bitter note.
Besides its function as a spice, curcuma is also used in the perfume industry, for food preservation and as a colorant.

The curcuma effect

Curcuma is attributed with a variety of positive health effects. These are all due to curcumin. Curcumin is a phytochemical, which is contained in turmeric to approx. 4 %. It is a lipophilic, non-toxic substance that does not lose its biological function even at very high temperatures. In the food industry curcumin is mainly used as a colouring agent.
So far, many studies have shown that curcumin has a positive effect on human digestion. It can alleviate a feeling of fullness after eating and also bloating. These and other effects of the root can be attributed to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. The anti-inflammatory effect has also been shown in human studies to be helpful for treating people with arthritis. However, the exact mechanisms of action are not yet known.

The problem with curcuma

In addition to the effects mentioned, many other positive effects on the human body are attributed to curcuma. For example, it is said to help in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, osteoporosis and diabetes. However, these effects could often not be confirmed in human studies. The main reasons for this are poor solubility and absorption as well as the rapid metabolism of the root. As you already know, the root curcumin is lipophilic, which means that it needs fats to dissolve. Only in the dissolved state can our body absorb therapeutic substances and let them take effect. In addition, curcumin decomposes quickly in the human pH range. Therefore, only an extremely small amount of curcumin is absorbed by our body. The majority is excreted directly. In addition, the small amount that the body has absorbed changes its structure very quickly and is then rapidly excreted by the organism. This ultimately leads to poor bioavailability of curcumin and a limited effect.

The solution to the problem

Since curcumin has been able to show such positive effects in in-vitro studies, researchers are looking for ways to introduce curcumin into the human body. One option are bioenhancers, which are substances that can increase the bioavailability of a substance.
One bioenhancer for curcumin is piperine, which is an alkaloid contained in black pepper at 5 - 9%. The metabolism of piperine improves the absorption of curcumin by our organism. It also blocks the decomposition of curcumin. As a result, the bioavailability of curcumin has been increased 20-fold, in studies. Even though there are only a few studies on the effect of piperine, black pepper is a must in our Carla Curcuma! Other ways to increase the bioavailability of curcumin include the influence of heat and the absorption in combination with oil.

Golden Milk

Golden Milk offers you a delicious opportunity to combine all methods for better absorption and utilization of curcumin. It is a traditional drink from Ayurvedic medicine, which is said to have healing properties. The basis of the Golden Milk is a milk alternative of your choice. Additionally, you need a piece of curcuma of about 2cm (alternatively 1 tbsp. turmeric powder) and a 1cm piece of ginger. Feel free to vary the amount of ginger if you are sensitive to spiciness. Add about ¼ tablespoon of cinnamon, ¼ tablespoon of black pepper and ½ tablespoon of coconut oil. Now mix all ingredients in a blender and boil the golden milk for a few minutes. If necessary, you can sweeten the Golden Milk with honey, agave syrup or another natural sweetener. The piperine from the pepper, the fat from the vegetable drink and the coconut oil and the heat during cooking the Golden Milk all ensure better bioavailability of the curcumin. Enjoy!

Curcuma side effects

If you use curcuma as a shot for in-between, as a spice for your food or in your Golden Milk, no side effects should occur. So far, only curcuma side effects with excessive root intake are known. This can cause nausea and gastrointestinal problems.
Since curcumin is used as a colorant in the food industry, it has an ADI value. The ADI value (acceptable daily intake) indicates the daily dose of a substance that a person can safely consume throughout his or her life. For curcumin the ADI value is 3mg/kg body weight. A woman weighing 60 kg should therefore not consume more than 180 mg curcumin per day on a long-term basis.
Pregnant women, nursing mothers and people with gallstones are not advised to take curcuma extracts/food supplements, as these often contain very high amounts of curcumin and thus significantly exceed the ADI value. It is not yet known how the regular intake of such high doses of curcumin affect the human body.