Curcumin

In the late 1950s and 60s, it was not uncommon for a daily dose of foul-tasting, fishy smelling liquid to be forced upon sickly children by their grandparents and cited as the cure for everything from arthritis and baldness, to boils and piles.

Cod liver oil consumption was at its peak, simultaneously torturing yet improving the health of children and their families all over the world. In the decades that followed various other natural remedies came in and out of the limelight. Apricot seed kernels, goji berries and coconut oil all enjoyed their glory days – with some developing a near cult following.

However, as time passed and science accumulated (or failed to accumulate), it became clear that these natural remedies weren’t really the ‘cure all’ they were sometimes promoted to be. In recent years, another natural medicine has forged ahead as the latest trendy cure-all taking the population by storm; yet this one has the scientific backing to boot.

HELP, I’m Inflamed!

Everyone has experienced the phenomenon of acute inflammation – a sprained ankle, a splinter, or a cut – resulting in the affected area becoming red, swollen, hot, and painful. This is your immune system rushing to protect your body from any bacteria or viruses that may try to infect the area, and is also the first step in repairing tissue damage. This is part of a normal, healthy inflammatory response and should die down, or resolve, once the injury heals.[¹] In some cases, however, inflammation sticks around and becomes chronic.

More than half of the Australian population suffers from chronic inflammation and pain.[²] Ongoing inflammation may be a response to repetitive damage that does not heal (e.g. arthritis), but it can also occur in response to other triggers such as toxins, allergens, or oxidative stress, also causing tissue damage. Chronic inflammation has been associated with the development of many types of disease such as type 2 diabetes, fibromyalgia, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), inflammatory bowel disease and obesity.[³]