Curcumin is a compound/extract from turmeric. It is used as a spice in cooking, a natural coloring agent for foods and drinks (ex: Lemon Ice AminoLast from Gaspari Nutrition), and it has been used medicinally for hundreds of years. While there are many herbs, plants, and extracts that are used in ancient/traditional medicinal practices, few have scientific backing (which doesn’t say that they don’t work, they are just not well-researched) and some have undergone a handful of clinical trials in humans. The lack of research surrounding herbal dietary supplements is evident when you compare the Fact Sheets produced by the Office of Dietary Supplements to endless shelves filled with herbal supplements at your local GNC or Vitamin Shoppe.

Curcumin is an exception to the rule. You will be hard pressed to find a compound in this class that has been as rigorously investigated as curcumin. What is even more interesting about curcumin is that the scientific interest in this topic is only growing. Back in December of 2011, I wrote an article entitled “Curcumin: The Next Big Superfood“.  Since then, even more research and analysis of curcumin and its impacts on the body have been carried out. Recently, the scientific journal BioFactors dedicated an entire issue to curcumin and reviewed the research surrounding curcumin.

Over the next several weeks I’ll take you through the A to Zs of curcumin, giving you both a practical and not so practical (read academic) understanding of this super super supplement.

The Complete User Guide to Curcumin

1. Introduction
2. Curcumin Uptake and Absorption (coming soon)
3. Curcumin: Actions at the Molecular Level (coming soon)
4. Curcumin and Cancer (coming soon)
5. Curcumin and Inflammation (coming soon)
6. Curcumin and Fat Loss (coming soon)
7. Curcumin and Liver Function (coming soon)
8. Curcumin and Cholesterol (coming soon)
9. Curcumin and Aging (coming soon)
10. Practical Applications, Dosages, and Practices (coming soon)