Turmeric health benefits
Turmeric is a well-known spice containing a group of chemicals called curcuminoids. The most important of these chemicals is curcumin which is known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. This means the ingredient may aid a variety of conditions where inflammation is problematic such as arthritis and severe period pain.
You can discover more about the health benefits of turmeric over in our food hub. There you will find a handy blog entitled ‘6 fantastic uses for turmeric’.
How might turmeric help IBS?
There is some research that suggests IBS sufferers have low level inflammation and so as with arthritis, the anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric might be helpful here.1
A study conducted by the University of Reading in 2004 looked at the effects of turmeric on IBS symptoms and found that participants who took two turmeric tablets daily for eight weeks saw improvements in their bowel movements and stomach pain. However, there are a few problems with the study in that no control group was used to compare findings with. Also, researchers agreed that there was still a lot of work to be done into the topic in order to make firm conclusions on just how well turmeric helps IBS sufferers.2
Therefore, in regards to whether or not turmeric could help IBS, the jury is still out! There is some research to say it could help but at the moment more research needs to be done on the issue.
Still, if you want to test the effects of turmeric on IBS symptoms for yourself then go ahead. Just make sure you stay within the recommended amount and if you don’t feel any change then it’s probably best to look at other options. To discover what these might be why not have a look at my blog on IBS treatments?
How to up your turmeric intake
As turmeric contains potential benefits for IBS and other conditions it’s easy to see why it has grown in popularity over the years, especially in supplement form.
Nevertheless, if you don’t fancy a turmeric supplement you could just try to incorporate more turmeric into your diet instead. Why not take your pick from the many recipes on our website?
- Coconut, spinach and red lentil dahl
- Pumpkin spice breakfast bars
- Cauliflower curry
- Thai parsnip and lime soup
- Spinach and potato curry
- Bombay potato and leek soup
Additional help in dealing with IBS
As always, here at A.Vogel we have a range of herbal remedies to help with the various symptoms of IBS so if you need a little more help in dealing with the condition, this is a great place to turn.
Silicol gel for example, acts as a protective barrier in the digestive tract and soothes the walls of the intestine. In doing this it helps to reduce symptoms of IBS such as diarrhea and stomach cramps.
On the other hand, if your mood is affected by IBS then you could try our Hyperiforce tablets. These are made from freshly harvested St John’s Wort (or hypericum) and help to relieve slight low mood and mild anxiety.
1https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4734999/
2 https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e5ca/b117fca40a6718406aef18eb82c64d5db032.pdf
