Turmeric vs. Curcumin
What’s the difference?
Turmeric is a plant that contains curcumin, along with many other similar compounds with beneficial effects (e.g. turmerin, turmerone, elemene, furanodiene, curdione, bisacurone, cyclocurcumin, calebin A, and germacrone). Curcumin was isolated and studied and showed it has wonderful properties such as anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetes and more. The supplement industry took this and ran with it by extracting curcumin from turmeric, but unfortunately it was not for the consumer’s benefit, it was more like a gimmick.
Which is better?
Many studies comparing turmeric and curcumin show that turmeric has greater benefits than curcumin alone. In fact, studies show that turmeric that had curcumin removed worked as well as turmeric containing curcumin! That’s because of all the other similarly beneficial compounds in turmeric.
What is the best source?
As with all other produce, fresh and organic is key to building optimal health. This ensures the highest potency of bioactive ingredients without harmful synthetic pesticides, so the turmeric has a much stronger power punch against inflammation, cancers, Alzheimers, IBS, diabetes, and much more. In Elixir Shots Immunity, we maximize these benefits by keeping our turmeric fresh, juicing within 3 days of pulling it from the soil, and keeping it below 41 degrees Fahrenheit to maximize potency.
See our turmeric benefits blog to learn more evidence-based benefits of turmeric!