Turmeric: The power of the yellow polyphenol

Turmeric is an ancestral plant known to act on many organs, and the latest research reveals a little more about the amazing powers of this plant. ingredientThe latest research suggests that it may increase skin production. The latest research suggests that it may increase the production of collagenCurcuma is said to reduce blemishes and treat wrinkles, but what's the truth? Does consuming turmeric or using turmeric-based facial care products give you beautiful skin? Does it really help to treat Alzheimer's and cancer, and above all, is it dangerous to take turmeric supplements?

Turmeric's action on the skin

So turmeric's actions are numerous, but what about its ability to improve certain skin problems? And to answer this question, I've read quite a few scientific articles on the subject attesting to the benefits of curcurma in improving psoriasis, atopic dermatitis and also wrinkles and skin spots.

In anti-aging, a study carried out on 28 women aged 30 showed a significant improvement in skin firmness after 4 weeks of self-evaluation. Well, the problem with this article is the term "self-evaluation", since scientific proof is worthless.

Another double-blind study involving 47 people showed that ingesting a daily infusion of turmeric reduced ultraviolet-induced skin inflammation. As a reminder, this post-sun exposure inflammation is strongly suspected of being responsible for the loss of subcutaneous facial fat.

I'm more interested in that! The infusion also increased hyaluronic acid production and thus improved skin hydration. That's for taking cucurma orally, but what about using it topically, i.e. as a cream or serum? Before we talk about turmeric-based cosmetics, let's see what this ingredient can do for us when formulated into a skin care product.

Numerous studies show that curcumin helps heal wounds faster by blocking the action of metalloproteases to protect existing collagen, and has a positive effect on collagen production.

Another article studied the effect of a turmeric cream on skin blemishes and wrinkles, and after 4 weeks of use the examiners found a significant improvement in skin blemishes. niacinamide versus a niacinamide and turmeric cream. The results showed a significant improvement in wrinkles in people who used the niacinamide and turmeric cream compared with those who used the cream without turmeric.

To sum up, these studies suggest that Curcumin is a moisturizing agent, has the ability to increase collagen production and improve wrinkles and spots. From my point of view, all these studies attest to the fact that turmeric is a very promising skincare ingredient. However, we still lack the scientific data to have well-established facts and a scientific consensus on the benefits of turmeric in facial skincare.

Turmeric-based cosmetics

The benefits of turmeric

The benefits of turmeric were described more than 2,600 years ago in Chinese medical treatises, notably as a treatment for joint pain. Turmeric is a member of the ginger family, and is overflowing with curcumoids, including the famous curcumin. Curcumin has exceptional anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and anti-bacterial properties.

But that's not all: curcumin protects the liver, joints, heart and brain, and is said to have an anti-cancer effect. Of course, the effects on the skin are not shown in this diagram, but they are numerous, whether taken orally or through the use of turmeric-based skin care products.

Curcumin's anti-inflammatory effect makes it particularly effective in reducing pain caused by osteoarthritis. To fully understand the anti-inflammatory power of turmeric, I'd like to tell you about this study comparing the efficacy of diclofenac, an anti-inflammatory drug, versus turmeric for knee osteoarthritis pain in 139 patients. The results show similar efficacy with fewer side-effects, although it should be noted that the doses of curcumin given are particularly high to achieve this result. And the conclusion of the study is that turmeric may be an alternative to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for people who can't tolerate them. However, in my opinion, don't stop taking NSAIDs and switch to turmeric, as this is just one study and the doses of turmeric given can be dangerous in some cases, but I'll come back to this later in the article.

Curcumin, referred to in this article as the yellow polyphenol, also has numerous actions on the brain, thanks to its anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, but not only that: curcumin also has very specific actions on the mechanisms of onset of Alzheimer's disease, by reducing the aggregation of amyloid peptides. Curcumin may also help protect the brain from age-related damage via various mechanisms, but further research is needed to confirm these results.

Curcumin is also of great interest in a number of digestive disorders, particularly inflammatory bowel diseases, but it is also highly effective in improving bloating problems.

Before we talk about the effects of turmeric on the skin, let's see if the information on curcumin's anti-cancer capacities is accurate. Numerous studies have been published and others are underway, and it would appear that curcumin does indeed have a certain ability to block the multiplication of different types of cancer cells. Combined with radiotherapy and chemotherapy, turmeric is thought to promote greater cell death, reduce metastasis and reduce treatment toxicity, such as the skin damage caused by radiotherapy during breast cancer. However, Turmeric could also reduce the action of certain chemotherapies such as cyclophosphamide, or reduce the action of hormone therapy after breast cancer. This information suggests that we should always discuss the benefits of taking turmeric-based supplements with a doctor. Because what may be good in one case may be bad in another. To the question of whether long-term supplementation can protect against cancer, the results are unclear, so I can't say.

Oral turmeric supplementation

For the oral intake of turmeric, the major problem is that its intestinal absorption is low, and only a small percentage of the Curcumin ingested is actually absorbed by our bodies. To remedy this problem, a suggestion has been made to add piperine, a substance found in black pepper. It's true that adding piperine considerably increases curcumin absorption, but this comes at the price of increased intestinal permeability. And increased intestinal permeability is not a good thing, as it increases the passage of harmful, allergenic or toxic substances from our intestines to our bloodstream and then to our various organs. These substances, which should never have crossed this barrier, can trigger immune reactions or simply accumulate in our organs. The other thing is that the recommended dose for turmeric is 3 mg per kilo per day, i.e. 180 mg for a 60 kg person. If you add piperine, you can increase the amount of curcumin absorbed without your knowledge, and cause complications. For example, turmeric increases bile production and secretion, improving minor digestive disorders such as bloating. However, this increase in bile secretion should be avoided if you have obstructed bile ducts or liver disease, as cases of hepatitis have been reported after taking turmeric-based supplements.

To sum up, turmeric's actions are particularly interesting, but like all good things, they must be taken in moderation.