With Linda Caddick, Registered Pharmacist & Medical Herbalist
Turmeric – does adding it to food work as well as taking a supplement?
Turmeric often gets talked about for arthritis and inflammation. But does sprinkling turmeric into your dinner or adding it to a cup of coffee give you the same effect as taking a turmeric supplement?
Usually, no.
The part of turmeric that gets most of the attention is curcumin, one of its active compounds. The tricky thing about curcumin is that our bodies don't absorb it particularly well.
Curcumin is fat-soluble, so simply stirring turmeric into water, coffee, or a stew may not be the best way to get it into your system. Having turmeric alongside some fat can help, and black pepper contains piperine, which can also increase the amount of curcumin available to the body.
One of my favourite ways to combine turmeric, fat and black pepper is this turmeric chocolate fudge. I first came across the idea many years ago in a magazine from the New Zealand Association of Medical Herbalists and have used it ever since.
Turmeric & pepper chocolate fudge
You’ll need:
- 200g virgin coconut oil
- 100g dark chocolate
- 50g turmeric (Curcuma longa) rhizome powder
- 5g ground black pepper
You can vary the amount of chocolate to suit your taste. Another option is to use 80% dark chocolate and add up to a tablespoon of maple syrup.
To make it:
Melt the coconut oil gently in a metal bowl over a pot of simmering water or in a double boiler.
Break up the chocolate and add it to the coconut oil, stirring over low heat until completely melted and combined. Keep the heat low, chocolate doesn't like getting too hot!
Remove from the heat and stir through the turmeric and black pepper.
Pour into a shallow pan or sponge-roll tin and place in the freezer for about an hour to set. Cut into 20 equal pieces and store in the fridge or freezer.
A word of caution
Natural doesn't automatically mean suitable for everyone.
Turmeric and curcumin can interact with some medicines, including blood-thinning medicines. Supplements can also contain much more concentrated amounts than you would normally use as a spice.
If you're thinking about regularly using turmeric or taking a curcumin supplement alongside your medicines, have a chat with your pharmacist first.
Naturally Curious explores herbs, supplements and natural products people often ask about, looking at what we know, how they're traditionally used, and some of the things to think about before trying them.
