Headaches and Migraines? Studies Suggest Oils Are Better!

Next time a headache strikes, even a migraine, you might want to skip the aspirin and reach for an essential oil. Clinical trials show, for example, that essential oil of lavender relieves migraine pain and accompanying symptoms by 72%.

In comparison, the Migraine Treatment Group reports that Tylenol helps migraines about 50% of the time. Ibuprofen works 57% of the time. And Imitrex, a drug often prescribed by doctors for migraine relief, is effective only 59% of the time.  

A 2012 study conducted by the School of Medicine's Department of Neurology, at Mashad University of Medical Sciences, enrolled 47 diagnosed migraine patients and randomly assigned them to one of two groups. Trial subjects were told to apply 2-3 drops of essential lavender oil onto their upper lip, inhale it for 15-minutes and then score the severity of their headache pain every 30 minutes for the next two hours. (Control subjects received similar instructions but were given a placebo to inhale).

Out of 129 reported headaches experienced by trial subjects, nearly 72% responded entirely or partially to the lavender essential oil therapy. In the control group, fewer than half of headaches responded to the placebo.

Besides lavender, essential oil of peppermint has been shown in multiple studies to relieve nausea and vomiting associated with migraine as well as the perception of headache and migraine pain. Essential oil of rose has been found to combine well with lavender to soothe migraine pain.

"We definitely see essential oil therapies gaining popularity," reports Kate Vozoff, Premiere's director of Product Development. "They're effective and have no side effects – it's hard to beat that combination." 

Check out the following article for more information on how to utilize essential oils in the treatment of migraines and headaches!

Essential Oils And Migraines

There are a number of therapeutic grade essential oils that help with migraines and debilitating headaches.

Researchers at Young Living have put together the blend M-Grain which sufferers can apply to their head and neck during migraine episodes. It consists of Basil, marjoram, lavender, peppermint, Roman chamomile and helichrysum. These oils work together in a synergistic union to soothe and rejuvenate the body during and after a severe headache. (A 15 ml bottle of M-Grain retails at $52.30, and the price for wholesale customers is $39.75).

Some people find it helpful to take oils internally to explode a migraine out of the system. Stacy McDonald has a testimony of her blog about a woman who took a “migraine bomb”. She wrote

“I was at my wits end yesterday. I had been suffering from a migraine for 7 days and I had been in bed with it. I had to get out yesterday for an appointment, and while out I texted a friend to see if she had the oils for the bomb. She did and told me to come by. I took one bomb when I got home, and within 15 minutes my

 migraine was gone! This was something that my regular migraine medicine would not touch. I am beyond thrilled! Thank you God for these wonderful oils! I am learning so much! I just wish I would have thought of it before suffering for a week. I am LOVING learning about these oils!!!!!”

The ingredients for the migraine bomb is simple, and I am looking forward to trying it next time I am suffering from a headache:

Amy’s Migraine Bomb
5 drops Copaiba
5 drops Frankincense
5 drops Idaho Balsam Fir
Amy placed these oils in an empty gel cap and swallowed.
Warning: I only recommend Therapeutic Grade essential oils. Lower quality oils may be toxic. Young Living oils that are labeled as “supplements” are approved for internal use. NEVER ingest lower quality oils, but only oils that are Therapeutic Grade.

The Essential Oils Pocket Reference gives two more recipes which headache sufferers would do well to try:

General Headache Recipe No 1:
4 drops wintergreen
2 drops lavender
3 drops German chamomile
1 drop clove
2 drops copaiba

General Headache Recipe No 2:
4 drops Eucalyptus
6 drops peppermint
2 drops myrrh

These can be applied topically or diffused. If you have sensitive skin, dilute with a carrier oil like almond oil.

Another oil which really helps with headaches is peppermint oil. Because of its cooling function, this oil is very refreshing  (again, be sure to buy therapeutic grade) and can help to either ease a headache, or sometimes eliminate it completely. Researchers at the Christian-Albrecht University in Kiel, Germany, conducted Placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover studies and proved that essential oils were just as effective in treating headaches as Tylenol.  They concluded “Peppermint oil thus proves to be a well-tolerated and cost-effective alternative to usual therapies.”

Other single oils which have been known to help headache sufferers are:

o   Clove

o    Copaiba

o    Eucalyptus Blue

o    Dorado Azul

o    German Chamomile

o    Roman Chamomile

o    Lavender

o    Myrrh

o    Rosemary

o    Spearmint

o    Valerian

o    Wintergreen

Some of Young Living’s blends which help headache sufferers are:

o    Brain Power

o    Clarity

o    Deep Relief Roll-On

o    PanAway

o    Stress Away Roll-On

o    Relieve It

o    R.C. 

o    Raven

o    Tranquil Roll-On

 Application and Usage

o    You may apply single-oils or blends neat or diluted, depending on the oil.

o    Diffuse your choice of oils into the air of your room for 1/2 hour every 4-6 hours or as desired.

o    Put 2-3 drops of your chosen oil in your hands and rub them together, cup your hands over your nose, and inhale throughout the day as needed. Put 2-3 drops of oil on a cotton ball or tissue and put it in an air vent in your house, vehicle, hotel room, etc.

Why YOU Should Be Using Coconut Oil!

My family came across this amazing substance a couple of years ago, and we have found it to be a Godsend!  Check out this article from http://dontwastethecrumbs.com/ on the amazing benefits of coconut oil!

PS - We get our extra virgin coconut oil at Costco.  The pic below shows the brand we use.

TRUTH ABOUT FATS: 24 REASONS TO EAT MORE COCONUT OIL

MARCH 21, 2013 BY TIFFANY 66 COMMENTS

I don’t remember the exact day we started using coconut oil, but it was sometime last summer if I remember correctly.  What I do recall is reading on a deal blog about such-and-such brand ofcoconut oil on Amazon was a great price, the lowest she’d ever seen, and that “now” was an excellent time to stock up if we were interested…

Hook. Line. Sinker.

I bought two.

The jars came in and at first I thought it was a mistake.  Why was my oil a solid?  That’s kinda weird… and why did I buy this again?

I wasn’t sure how to eat it.  Do I just take a spoon to it?  Melt it?  Spread it on bread?

I tried it with a spoon, treating it like it was a small scoop of ice cream.  My licks didn’t get me very far, which led me to taking a big bite.

Have you ever tried chewing tapioca pudding?  It’s kinda like that, but thicker.  A very strange texture in my mouth that I wasn’t hoping to repeat.

Thankfully I found great success with melting it and making seed salad, which is still one of my all time favorite ways of eating this awesome fat (besides baking with it, of course).

A few days later, my good friend Google clued me in that coconut oil was supposed to be solid.  However, it wasn’t until I read Nourishing Traditions that I figured out why:  it’s 92% saturated fat!

Remember that saturated fat is the good fat.  It’s the type of fat that contains the strong bonds that are resistant to higher temperatures, making them safer to cook and bake with and less likely to attract free radicals.

There’s more to it though.  Coconut oil isn’t just another fat that’s handy to have in the kitchen.  Like butter, coconut oil is REALLY GOOD for you!

COCONUT OIL IS ANTI-MICROBIAL (IT FIGHTS THE BAD BUGS)

Coconut oil is made up largely of a medium-chained fatty acid called lauric acid.  In the body, lauric acid is formed into monolaurin and the body uses monolaurin to destroy harmful bacteria.

Mary Enig, PhD (co-author of Nourishing Traditions) wrote a report in 2006 discussing the effects of coconut oil on Staphylococcus aureus, a major pathogen that was responsible for over one-third of fatal cases of  blood poisoning in the UK in 1999.  This same pathogen just so happens to be resilient to penicillin, methicilliin, tetracycline and erythromycin.  Any of those antibiotics sound familiar?  In studies published a few years later, coconut oil showed to better at preventing and healing infections caused by this awful pathogen than the most potent antibiotic!  (source)

The only other source for large quantities of lauric acid is mother’s milk, which we’ve talked about before and most healthcare professionals will promote , is well known for building the immune systems of babies.

COCONUT OIL FIGHTS TOOTH DECAY

A different bacterium from the same family is Streptococcus mutans, normally found in the mouth and the guilty party for making an acid that decays teeth.  Researchers state that even a small amount of coconut oil would be beneficial in destroying this micro-organism!  (source)

Nourishing Simplicity has a recipe for homemade toothpaste that I would like to make for my kids.  Mr. Crumbs is anti-fluoride and it would be nice to have a toothpaste that actually helpstheir teeth, right?

COCONUT OIL IS ANTI-FUNGAL

It sounds strange to say fight yeast with an oil, but it’s true!  The lauric acid in coconut oil literally kills athlete’s foot, ringworm and Candida albicans (the normal fungus that lives in our gut, yet its out of control overgrowth results in thrush in babies and yeast infections in ladies).

I thought Whole Intentions was kidding when she posted about fighting Candida with ice cream, but she’s completely serious!  Candida Diet vanilla ice cream (which also happens to be gluten-free, nut-free, sugar-free AND low-carb) only has five ingredients and looks really easy to make.  Plus I’m guessing you can substitute vanilla extract with other flavors too!  Lemon, peppermint, orange… Mmm!

COCONUT OIL IS ANTI-VIRAL

In addition to lauric acid, coconut oil also contains a small – yet significant – portion of capric acid.  When ingested, capric acid forms monocaprin in the body and helps fight off viruses such as HIV and herpes.   Researchers are already studying whether or not coconut oil will promote healing of some of other major diseases like measles and hepatitis C.  Food healing disease?  Say it isn’t so! ;)  (source)

COCONUT OIL PROMOTES WEIGHT LOSS

This sounds completely absurd, right?  That eating fat can cause you to lose fat?  It just reiterates how misinformed we are as a society!

Medium-chain fatty acids, like lauric acid found in coconut oil, don’t need to be “broken down” by our digestive system.  Instead they’re absorbed directly into the liver and converted to energy that our body uses immediately.  This quick release of energy causes our metabolism rate to increase an average of 48%!  Coconut oil also slows down the rate at which we digest food, making us feel fuller, longer.  Because of the slower digestion, coconut oil helps stabilize blood sugar levels too! (source)

This reason alone may cause me to use Whole New Mom’s recipe for homemade chocolate chips.

Wait – did I just say homemade chocolate chips?!

Sure did!  Does it sound like an oxymoron to fight off sugar cravings with chocolate? 

COCONUT OIL GOES BEYOND THE KITCHEN

There are only a few foods in my kitchen that I’m willing to use beyond my dinner plate.  Let’s be honest, you’ll NEVER find me putting mayonnaise in my hair.  Maybe because mayo is made of eggs and the idea of purposely putting eggs in my hair kinda grosses me out.  However, I am seriously tempted to keep a jar of coconut oil in my bathroom.

Coconut oil relieves dandruff and can be used in place of lotion to condition skin.  Actually, the naturally occurring anti-oxidants in coconut oil make it the perfect anti-aging moisturizer and even soothes skin abrasions and burns! 

Both of these lotions are tried and true (and part of my daily routine!):

• Face Lotion Bar
• Homemade Tinted Moisturizer

Many commercial deodorants contain aluminum and this is a big issue, especially considering the sensitive area we use deodorant.  Heavy on Wholesome has a WAY easy recipe forhomemade deodorant that you literally could go into your kitchen and make tonight.  It even passed her macho Naval Aviator husband’s long-flight test!

NEED MORE REASONS?

• Kills bacteria and parasites like tape worm and liver flukes
• Eases acid reflux, aids in proper bowel function
• Lowers incidence of hemorrhoids
• Heals and relieves intestinal problems
• Soothes earaches
• Deals with symptoms connected with prostate enlargement
• Strengthens the liver and protects against degeneration
• Reduces incidence of epileptic seizures
• Reduces joint and muscle inflammation
• Eases neuropathies and itching from diabetes
• Speeds recovery from a cold
• Prevents scarring from common cuts and scrapes
• Used in fasting to cleanse the body from toxins and impurities
• Removes make-up
• Provides natural sun protection
• Excellent lip moisturizer, shaving cream and even tames frizzy hair (thanks Accidentally Green!)
• Used as belly butter for pregnant mommies and prevents diaper rash (thanksSmithspirations!)

Holy schmoley folks!  That’s a lot of great reasons to eat more coconut oil!  Oddly, some of the health benefits of coconut oil are the same health benefits of butter!

Remember that coconut oil has a high smoke point, making it ideal for frying and for baking.  It’s interchangeable with butter in most baking recipes, especially these ultimate chocolate chip cookies (remember to add the different types of chocolate!).  It’s also my preferred fat forhomemade tortillas and an additional to daily smoothies (with more recipes here too).

WHERE TO BUY COCONUT OIL?

I’ve tried my fair share of coconut oils and most are very sub-par.  Tropical Traditions is the only place I would ever recommend buying coconut oil from.  It’s the highest quality available and made from traditional methods, as coconut should be!  You can buy just a quart of by the gallon (which is what I do), but in either case, buy extra virgin coconut oil today and start reaping the health benefits!!

WAYS TO INCORPORATE MORE COCONUT OIL IN YOUR DIET

The easiest way to eat more coconut oil is to substitute it for up to half of the butter in any baking recipe.  Cookies are especially amazing, but cakes, brownies, pie crusts and fudge are equally as delicious.  Here are a few recipes that are tried-and-true delicious:

• Chocolate Brownie Cake
• Chocolate Ganache Frosting
• Seed Salad
• Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Vanishing Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
• Homemade Pie Crust
• Leftover Oatmeal Chocolate Cake
• Homemade Protein Bars

Plus these natural skincare recipes use coconut oil too:

• Face Lotion Bar
• Homemade Tinted Moisturizer

The Super Benefits Of Sweet Potatoes!

Another great article from the good "Dr. Axe"!  Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite go to carbs!  LOADED with good stuff and crazy delicious!  I eat mine plain, but you can always throw on some grass-fed organic butter.  So good!  If sweet potatoes aren't part of your normal diet...they need to be!

Click this link Dr. Axe for more amazing articles from the doc!

While I typically don’t recommend going overboard on starchy carbs, when it comes to eating a healthy diet sweet potatoes can be an asset to your health.

Ranking much lower on the glycemic index then regular potatoes and containing a higher density of nutrients, sweet potatoes have an impressive nutritional profile.

Sweet potatoes are packed with potassium, vitamin A,vitamin C and vitamin B6 which supports energy.

Also, sweet potatoes are an excellent gluten-free option for those who are looking to replace carbohydrates in their diet.

Sweet Potato Health Benefits

According to several medical studies and case studies, the benefits of sweet potatoes include:

• Weight loss support
• Healthy skin
• Anti-cancer
• Cholesterol levels
• Prostate health

Just to name of few.  If you want to learn more about sweet potato benefits and how to make perfect sweet potato recipes then let’s continue!

What Are Sweet Potatoes Good For?

By far, one of the most beneficial nutritional aspects of sweet potatoes is that they are an unusually high resource of vitamin A. In fact, no other food on the planet contains more vitamin A than sweet potatoes! 

This is one reason why they have been used as a valuable healing plant in South American folk medicine for over 5,000 years. Today, studies suggest that it can be useful to treat cancer, diabetes, and inflammatory-based conditions like heart disease. It is also considered a valuable raw material to be used in the development of medicines and industrial products!

One common theme in both types of uses is that the entire plant should be utilized, not just the tasty storage root part that we’re used to eating.

For example, the journal Carcinogenesis published a study in 2013 evaluating how polyphenol-rich sweet potato greens affect prostate cancer.

After using chromatographic techniques to create a remarkably active polyphenol-enriched compound – about 100 times more potent than unaltered sweet potatoes – researchers discovered that daily oral administration of 400 mg/kg body weight stopped growth and progression of prostate cancer cells in mice up to 75%!

The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture’s Key Laboratory of Agro-products Processing also recently conducted testing to see how far-reaching sweet potato roots can be in treating cancer.

After administering sweet potato root protein in mice xenografted with human colorectal cancer cells, they observed that the tumors shrank up to 57% in overall growth and 25% in weight after just nine days of treatment!

Also, being a rich source of water-soluble flavonoids that are responsible for their various colors, research also suggests that isolated purple sweet potatoes anthocyanins can improve cognitive function and can effectively stop degeneration of the brain.

Simply put, purple sweet potatoes have been shown to stop fat cell degeneration, which suggests that they can help reverse various types of brain dysfunction!

Sweet Potatoes vs. Yams

Before I get into the nitty gritty, there are two interesting facts I want to share about sweet potatoes:

1. Most Americans are very much in the dark about their unbelievable health benefits.
2. Sweet potatoes are lower in calories and higher in antioxidants, but yams do contain higher levels of potassium.

A true yam is a Caribbean native that has the same white flesh color as a regular potatoes. Sweet potatoes, on the other hand, are from South America and are typically orange-colored flesh, but they can also be white or purple. And don’t mistake it, even those red-skinned root vegetables out there in our grocery stores aren’t yams; they’re sweet potatoes!

Sweet Potato Nutrition Facts

Telling you this will help you more than just winning your next round of Trivial Pursuit. The fact is, most grocery stores mislabel sweet potatoes for yams and, depending on what you’re trying to achieve by eating them, this could be a BIG difference! Here’s why:

You see the differences?

If you’re trying to boost your vitamin A intake, you’d stay away from yams in favor for sweet potatoes and vise versa if you want to increase the potassium or vitamin C in your diet!

Sweet Potato Benefits for Skin

Eating sweet potatoes can greatly enhance the health of your skin due to the high content of beta-carotene, which helps convert vitamin A in your body that triggers DNA responsible to produce new skin cells. Ever wonder why most of your skincare products have retinoic acid and retinol in them? 

As your body makes new cells, your old skin is sloughed off and you end up with a vibrant sheen that is more resistant to chemicals and damage. Also, some experts claim that beta-carotene helps reverse free radical damage, which leads to wrinkles.

If you want healthy glowing skin, consider using sweet potato products to help keep your skin hydrated.

Sweet Potato Scrub:

+  Make a paste out of half a cup of boiled sweet potatoes, 1 tablespoon organic coffee grounds, and 1 tablespoon of kefir.

+  Use this as a scrub in the shower and follow up with a coconut oil moisturizer.

Sweet Potatoes For Weight Loss

Sweet potatoes are also a great food to help you lose weight because they are:

• Lower in calories
• Low on the glycemic index (which means that they won’t spike your blood sugar)
• High in fiber
• High in potassium

And, according to the Mayo Clinic,

“Because low glycemic index foods are absorbed more slowly, they stay in your digestive tract longer. This is why these foods are sometimes called slow carbs. These foods may help control appetite and delay hunger cues, which can help with weight management. Balanced blood sugar also can help reduce the risk of insulin resistance.”

Sweet Potato Recipes

Want to harness all of the benefits of sweet potatoes? Then try one of these super healthy sweet potato recipes:

Sweet Potato Brownies

Sweet Potato Fries

Rosemary Whipped Sweet Potatoes

Garlic Sweet Potato Soup

Why Essential Oils Are So Powerful

Don't Like Wheat? Make Your Own Oat Flour...In A Snap!

Making your own oat flour is a breeze!  I do this to make chocolate oat flour/flax/super protein pancakes, and yes, they are delicious!  Honestly, they remind me of a brownie except NO sugar…just honey!  I’ll put the recipe up in a later post.  Today, let’s just talk about making oat flour!

I use oat flour in a lot of my recipes, and people are always asking where to get it or if there is a substitute so they don’t have to buy it. The good news is you DON’T NEED TO BUY IT! If you have oats of any kind- you can MAKE your own! Oat flour is nothing more than pulverized oats.

All you do is blend it up in a food processor or nutria-bullet! It’s so simple. If a recipe calls for 1 cup of oat flour, just blend up 1 cup of oats! Simply put the oats in the processor, press blend, and let her rip until the oats are pulverized to a flour-y consistency!

There’s no need to pay extra for pre-packaged oat flour when you can make your own that works perfectly!

Improve Your Health By Adding a Little "Spice" To Your Life

True Story:  Back in December, a walnut piece became lodged in my esophagus while eating some yogurt.  The reason for this was two-fold.  1. I NEVER chew my food well.  2. I had a small restricted area in my esophagus.  Apparently the restriction was due to an allergically triggered condition I have/had known as "Eosinophilic Esophagitis".  Long story short, stuff gets stuck in one's throat due to narrowing of the esophagus.  

According to my doctor, the only remedy for my affliction would be long term steroid treatment.  The problem with this approach is that it subjects the body to all sorts of "wonderful" side effects that in my opinion, are far worse than having a restricted esophagus.  With this in mind, I cordially declined said treatment and decided to chart my own path.

Realizing this condition was basically an inflammatory response, I set out to find my own natural anti-inflammatory "silver bullet"!  

Enter Turmeric!  

Yes, that wonderful yellow substance that is found in Curry, a favorite among our Indian friends.  Actually it was my brother Mike who suggested using this for it's anti-inflammatory properties, and let me tell you, it absolutely works!  After just 3 weeks of taking one pill twice a day, ALL symptoms completely disappeared!  No swollen feeling at all!  Amazing!  

With that, I wanted to share some of the benefits of taking this amazing relative of the Ginger plant. 

By the way, this and other interesting articles can be found at 

http://authoritynutrition.com/

10 Proven Health Benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin

Turmeric may be the most effective nutritional supplement in existence.

Many high quality studies show that it has major benefits for your body and brain.

Here are the top 10 evidence-based health benefits of turmeric.

1. Turmeric Contains Bioactive Compounds With Powerful Medicinal Properties

Turmeric is the spice that gives curry its yellow color.

It has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb.

Recently, science has started to back up what the Indians have known for a long time… it really does contain compounds with medicinal properties (1).

These compounds are called curcuminoids, the most important of which is curcumin.

Curcumin is the main active ingredient in turmeric. It has powerful anti-inflammatory effects and is a very strong antioxidant.

However, the curcumin content of turmeric is not that high… it’s around 3%, by weight (2).

Most of the studies on this herb are using turmeric extracts that contain mostly curcumin itself, with dosages usually exceeding 1 gram per day. It would be very difficult to reach these levels just using the turmeric spice in your foods.

Therefore, if you want to experience the full effects, then you need to take an extractthat contains significant amounts of curcumin.

Unfortunately, curcumin is poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. It helps to consume black pepper with it, which contains piperine… a natural substance that enhances the absorption of curcumin by 2000% (3).

I personally prefer to swallow a few whole peppercorns along with my curcumin supplement, in order to enhance absorption.

Curcumin is also fat soluble, so it may be a good idea to take it with a fatty meal.

Bottom Line: Turmeric contains curcumin, a substance with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Most studies used turmeric extracts that are standardized to include large amounts of curcumin.

2. Curcumin is a Natural Anti-Inflammatory Compound

Inflammation is incredibly important.

It helps the body fight foreign invaders and also has a role in repairing damage.

Without inflammation, pathogens like bacteria could easily take over our bodies and kill us.

Although acute (short-term) inflammation is beneficial, it can become a major problem when it is chronic (long-term) and inappropriately deployed against the body’s own tissues.

It is now believed that chronic, low-level inflammation plays a major role in almost every chronic, Western disease. This includes heart disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer’s and various degenerative conditions (4, 5, 6).

Therefore, anything that can help fight chronic inflammation is of potential importance in preventing and even treating these diseases.

It turns out that curcumin is strongly anti-inflammatory, it is so powerful that it matches the effectiveness of some anti-inflammatory drugs (7).

Curcumin actually targets multiple steps in the inflammatory pathway, at the molecular level.

Curcumin blocks NF-kB, a molecule that travels into the nuclei of cells and turns on genes related to inflammation. NF-kB is believed to play a major role in many chronic diseases (8, 9).

Without getting into the gory details (inflammation is extremely complicated), the key takeaway here is that curcumin is a bioactive substance that fights inflammation at the molecular level (10, 11, 12).

In several studies, its potency has compared favorably to anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical drugs… except without the side effects (13, 14).

Bottom Line: Chronic inflammation is known to be a contributor to many common Western diseases. Curcumin can inhibit many molecules known to play major roles in inflammation.

3. Turmeric Dramatically Increases The Antioxidant Capacity of The Body

Oxidative damage is believed to be one of the mechanisms behind ageing and many diseases.

It involves free radicals, highly reactive molecules with unpaired electrons.

Free radicals tend to react with important organic substances, such as fatty acids,proteins or DNA.

The main reason antioxidants are so beneficial, is that they protect our bodies from free radicals.

Curcumin happens to be a potent antioxidant that can neutralize free radicals due to its chemical structure (15, 16).

But curcumin also boosts the activity of the body’s own antioxidant enzymes (17, 18,19).

In that way, curcumin delivers a one-two punch against free radicals. It blocks them directly, then stimulates the body’s own antioxidant mechanisms.

Bottom Line: Curcumin has powerful antioxidant effects. It neutralizes free radicals on its own, then stimulates the body’s own antioxidant enzymes.

4. Curcumin Boosts Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Linked to Improved Brain Function and a Lower Risk of Brain Diseases

Back in the day, it was believed that neurons weren’t able to divide and multiply after early childhood.

However, it is now known that this does happen.

The neurons are capable of forming new connections, but in certain areas of the brain, they can also multiply and increase in number.

One of the main drivers of this process is Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor(BDNF), which is a type of growth hormone that functions in the brain (20).

Many common brain disorders have been linked to decreased levels of this hormone. This includes depression and Alzheimer’s disease (21, 22).

Interestingly, curcumin can increase brain levels of BDNF (23, 24).

By doing this, it may be effective at delaying or even reversing many brain diseases and age-related decreases in brain function (25).

There is also the possibility that it could help improve memory and make you smarter. Makes sense given its effects on BDNF levels, but this definitely needs to be tested in human controlled trials (26).

Bottom Line: Curcumin boosts levels of the brain hormone BDNF, which increases the growth of new neurons and fights various degenerative processes in the brain.

5. Curcumin Leads to Various Improvements That Should Lower Your Risk of Heart Disease

Heart disease is the biggest killer in the world (27).

It has been studied for many decades and researchers have learned a lot about why it happens.

It turns out that heart disease is incredibly complicated and there are various things that contribute to it.

Curcumin may help reverse many steps in the heart disease process (28).

Perhaps the main benefit of curcumin when it comes to heart disease, is improving the function of the endothelium, which is the lining of the blood vessels.

It is well known that endothelial dysfunction is a major driver of heart disease and involves an inability of the endothelium to regulate blood pressure, blood clotting and various other factors (29).

Several studies suggest that curcumin leads to improvements in endothelial function. One study shows that is as effective as exercise, another shows that it works as well as the drug Atorvastatin (30, 31).

But curcumin also reduces inflammation and oxidation (as discussed above), which are also important in heart disease.

In one study, 121 patients who were undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery were randomized to either placebo or 4 grams of curcumin per day, a few days before and after the surgery.

The curcumin group had a 65% decreased risk of experiencing a heart attack in the hospital (32).

Bottom Line: Curcumin has beneficial effects on several factors known to play a role in heart disease. It improves the function of the endothelium and is a potent anti-inflammatory agent and antioxidant.

6. Turmeric Can Help Prevent (And Perhaps Even Treat) Cancer

Cancer is a terrible disease, characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells.

There are many different forms of cancer, but they do have several commonalities, some of which appear to be affected by curcumin supplementation (33).

Researchers have been studying curcumin as a beneficial herb in cancer treatment. It can affect cancer growth, development and spread at the molecular level (34).

Studies have shown that it can reduce angiogenesis (growth of new blood vessels in tumors), metastasis (spread of cancer), as well as contributing to the death of cancerous cells (35).

Multiple studies have shown that curcumin can reduce the growth of cancerous cells in the laboratory and inhibit the growth of tumours in test animals (36, 37).

Whether high-dose curcumin (preferably with an absorption enhancer like pepper) can help treat cancer in humans has yet to be tested properly.

However, there is some evidence that it may help prevent cancer from occurring in the first place, especially cancers of the digestive system (like colorectal cancer).

In one study in 44 men with lesions in the colon that sometimes turn cancerous, 4 grams of curcumin per day for 30 days reduced the number of lesions by 40% (38).

Maybe curcumin will be used along with conventional cancer treatment one day. It’s too early to say for sure, but it looks promising and this is being intensively studied as we speak.

Bottom Line: Curcumin leads to several changes on the molecular level that may help prevent and perhaps even treat cancer.

7. Curcumin May be Useful in Preventing and Treating Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the world and a leading cause of dementia.

Unfortunately, no good treatment is available for Alzheimer’s yet.

Therefore, preventing it from showing up in the first place is of utmost importance.

There may be good news on the horizon, because curcumin has been shown to cross the blood-brain barrier (39).

It is known that inflammation and oxidative damage play a role in Alzheimer’s disease. As we know, curcumin has beneficial effects on both (40).

But one key feature of Alzheimer’s disease is a buildup of protein tangles called Amyloid plaques. Studies show that curcumin can help clear these plaques (41).

Whether curcumin can really slow down or even reverse the progression of Alzheimer’s disease needs to be studied properly.

Bottom Line: Curcumin can cross the blood-brain barrier and has been shown to lead to various improvements in the pathological process of Alzheimer’s disease.

8. Arthritis Patients Respond Very Well to Curcumin Supplementation

Arthritis is a common problem in Western countries.

There are several different types, but most involve some sort of inflammation in the joints.

Given that curcumin is a potent anti-inflammatory, it makes sense that it could help with arthritis. Several studies show this to be true.

In a study of patients with rheumatoid arthritis, curcumin was even more effective than an anti-inflammatory drug (42).

Many other studies have looked at the effects of curcumin on arthritis and noted improvements in various symptoms (43, 44).

Bottom Line: Arthritis is a common disorder characterized by joint inflammation. Many studies show that curcumin can help treat symptoms of arthritis and is in some cases more effective than anti-inflammatory drugs.

9. Studies Show That Curcumin Has Incredible Benefits Against Depression

Curcumin has shown some promise in treating depression.

In a controlled trial, 60 patients were randomized into three groups (45).

One group took prozac, another group took a gram of curcumin and the third group took both prozac and curcumin.

After 6 weeks, curcumin had led to improvements that were similar to prozac. The group that took both prozac and curcumin fared best.

According to this (small) study, curcumin is as effective as an antidepressant.

Depression is also linked to reduced levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and a shrinking hippocampus, a brain area with a role in learning and memory.

Curcumin boosts BNDF levels, potentially reversing some of these changes (46).

There is also some evidence that curcumin can boost the brain neurotransmitters serotonin and dopamine (47, 48).

Bottom Line: A study in 60 depressed patients showed that curcumin was as effective as prozac in alleviating the symptoms of depression.

10. Curcumin May Help Delay Ageing and Fight Age-Related Chronic Diseases

If curcumin can really help prevent heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer’s… then this would have obvious benefits for longevity.

For this reason, curcumin has become very popular as an anti-aging supplement (49).

But given that oxidation and inflammation are believed to play a role in ageing, curcumin may have effects that go way beyond just prevention of disease (50).

11. Anything Else?

If you want to buy a turmeric/curcumin supplement, then there is an excellent selection on Amazon with thousands of great customer reviews.

I recommend that you find one with bioperine (another name for piperine), which is the substance that enhances absorption of curcumin by 2000%.

Without this substance, most of the curcumin just passes through your digestive tract.