Page 7 - TURMERIC

Three Forms of Turmeric

There are three different forms of turmeric, each with varying ratios of chemistry. These
three forms are the botanical, the extract, and the essential oil.

The botanical form is the raw plant or plant parts, such as the root, stems, or leaves. The

percentage of curcuminoids and turmerones in the botanical form is relatively small in
comparison to the other components.

The second form is a CO extract of Turmeric. CO extraction is a process in which
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much more of the curcuminoids end up in the final product; however, the turmerone
content is not much higher than in the botanical. Unfortunately, even though turmeric

extract contains higher amounts of curcuminoids, your body isn’t capable of absorbing
them without assistance. You may have heard that consuming black pepper along with
turmeric facilitates the absorption of curcuminoids. This is due to the piperine in black
pepper, which inhibits certain metabolizing enzymes in the liver to ease absorption.
However, keep in mind that Black Pepper essential oil contains only the volatile aromatic

compounds, not the piperine. Therefore, Black Pepper essential oil will not help with
absorption of curcuminoids

Turmeric essential oil is extracted through steam distillation and is composed mostly of
turmerones. The larger curcuminoid molecules don’t make it through the distillation
process. Consequently, we should expect to see a miniscule amount of curcuminoids in

the final product of a high-quality essential oil.

For maximum benefit, it is useful to consume forms of turmeric with the highest levels of
curcuminoids and turmerones in their most bioavailable forms. To put it simply, if you use
the botanical, you probably won’t get as much of the curcuminoids and turmerones as

you’re looking for. If you use the CO extract, you still don’t get enough turmerones and
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you’ll have to find a way to improve absorption of curcuminoids into the body. If you use
the essential oil, you won’t get any curcuminoids, but you’ll gain access to a relatively high
amount of turmerones. With all these different options it can be difficult to find one place
for your turmeric products.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.