When we talk about eating the right foods, most people assume that when you consume the right thing, that’s enough. You’ll find many people running for herbs like turmeric because they’ve heard of its healing properties. What most people don’t know is that simply consuming turmeric as a spice may not provide the full benefits of this herb. Turmeric and black pepper capsules work by making sure your body gets the most of the active compounds present in both herbs.
There’s a big difference between simply consuming the right food and making sure it is fully absorbed. Turmeric is a fat soluble herb. The more your body is able to absorb, the more health benefits you get. Turmeric and black pepper are the perfect combinations to boost full-absorption.
How to ensure full absorption
Because turmeric is fat soluble, it dissolves in fat and when there’s no fat when consuming the herb, it’s likely not to reach the small intestines where it’s going to offer the most benefits. That’s why you are always advised to take the turmeric with some bit of fat. You can either add olive/coconut oil or add it to some fatty milk before consuming. The other option is to take turmeric with black pepper capsules.
How black pepper enhances absorption
5% of black pepper herb contains an active compound known as piperine. This substance is what is responsible for the pungent flavor of pepper. This molecule inhibits the process of making foreign substances like drugs water soluble so that they can be easily excreted. Piperine is what acts on curcumin to make it fully absorb in the blood stream.
How it works
When you consume turmeric curcumin, there’s only a small level of it that can be seen on the bloodstream after one hour. This is because the liver is working hard to get rid of it even before it gets to the intestines. Taking black pepper supplement helps to slow down this process. Even a small pinch of pepper can boost bioavailability by up to 2000%. Instead of the curcumin being eliminated by the liver immediately, it gets to the important tissues in the body that need it first.
There are many other ways to prepare black pepper and turmeric in order to get the most benefits. In India, people have used fat and black pepper as a way of enhancing the bioavailability of curcumin.
