Why We Love Turmeric (And How To Get It)

Turmeric is everywhere these days. Golden-milk lattes, chocolates, juice shots—even face masks and lip balm.

And this wonder spice is trending for good reason. Here are just some of the reasons why we can’t get enough:

• It fights inflammation. Research shows that the active compound in turmeric, curcumin, is an effective anti-inflammatory. Excessive inflammation may cause diseases such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Parkinson’s, as well as playing a role in arthritis, asthma and Crohn’s disease.
• It boosts mood and memory. Though researchers aren’t 100% sure why, animal studies and recent small human trials have found that daily turmeric supplements can improve mood and memory.
• It makes skin healthier. Whether your issue is acne, wrinkles, sensitive skin or dullness, turmeric may help.
• It’s an anti-cancer agent. Turmeric may not only kill cancer cells, it might also keep new ones from growing.

The trouble is, if you only sprinkle turmeric onto your food, your body doesn’t absorb it well. Most of it breaks down in your belly before it hits your bloodstream. So even though you can find it in all kinds of foods and beauty products, you would have to eat and slather on a ton of it to truly reap its benefits.

Here are two ways to get the most out of turmeric:

• Combine it with black pepper. If you’ve noticed that recipes calling for turmeric also have black pepper in the ingredient list, there’s a good reason. Aside from adding to the flavor, black pepper boosts turmeric absorption by up to 2000%. No wonder both spices are part of most curry blends.
• Take a powerful supplement. We love youtheory’s Turmeric Extra Strength formula. This supplement (available on iherb.com) features an extract of the patented Curcumin C3 Complex, a scientifically studied component of turmeric known for its unique potency, 20 times more concentrated than the spice. Plus, having turmeric in capsule form means you don’t have to add it to everything you cook. As much as we love golden milk, we can’t always make it happen. This way we get our daily dose no matter what’s on the menu.