Turmeric and Absorption: What’s all the confusion?

When I explain that our Inflammation Formula is pure Turmeric extract, a question people frequently ask is if black pepper is included in the formula to aid in the absorption of the Turmeric. We do not include black pepper extract in our formula and please allow me to thoroughly explain why.

An Ancient Remedy

By now, most people are familiar with the amazing benefits of adding Turmeric to their diet. Many people that I talk with are now adding the powder to their smoothies, taking Turmeric pills, or taking the most well-known “active ingredient” in Turmeric, Curcumin.

Although the over 600 studied benefits of Turmeric are just now getting international attention and recognition in recent years, it has been used in Ayurvedic medicine for over 6,000 years.

Ayurvedic medicine originated in India and is one of the oldest holistic (whole body) wellness healing systems in the world. In fact, areas in India are known to have the lowest rates of Alzheimer’s in the world and studies link it to their daily use of the spice Turmeric in the curries that are a staple of their diets.

Curries are usually cooked with some sort of oil and include the spice black pepper as well. This fact is very important and let me tell you why.

Absorption of Turmeric

Turmeric alone is difficult to absorb through digestion. This is because it is fat soluble. Without fat, the active component in turmeric, curcumin, has a difficult time making it past the stomach, into the small intestine, and into the blood where it can offer the greatest benefits.

Another way to help with the absorption of Turmeric is to take it with black pepper. The compound piperine, which is responsible for the pungent flavor in black pepper, is also a potent inhibitor of drug metabolism. One of the ways our liver gets rid of foreign substances is by making them water soluble so they can be easily excreted. The piperine molecule, however, prevents that process. The bioavailability of curcumin (turmeric) will shoot up 2,000% when taken with piperine (black pepper).

Convenience Factor

While all of this may be true, most people I talk to here in the United States do not eat Indian Food on a daily basis, and remembering or having the ability to take black pepper with your turmeric or curcumin every time is not very practical. Especially if you have a hectic routine, are traveling, or quite simply, the thought of dissolving your Turmeric in coconut oil and eating a few peppercorns with it, just sounds unappealing.

Therefore, the likelihood of keeping up a regime like that on an ongoing basis, is just not practical and is something that might be kept up for a week or so before it gets old or inconvenient and is just given up all together. That’s where our extract form comes into play as the perfect solution to this problem.

Extracts absorb directly into the bloodstream before they even hit the digestive tract and have up to a 98% absorption rate. No need to worry about the oil and the black pepper. This is also why people get such amazing results just 10 minutes later after taking only one dose!

See our testimonial below to hear what we hear people say over and over again on a daily basis.

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