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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
David Cox

Does turmeric’s reputation translate into real health benefits?

Superman logo formed out of turmeric powder
Superman logo formed out of turmeric powder Photograph: P Partridge/GNM Imaging

While Kamal Patel was probing through the reams of user data on examine.com – a website that calls itself “the internet’s largest database of nutrition and supplement research” – before a planned revamp later this year, he discovered that the most searched-for supplement on the website was curcumin, a distinctive yellow-orange chemical that is extracted from the rhizomes of turmeric, a tall plant in the ginger family, native to Asia.

Patel concluded that this was probably because of curcumin’s purported anti-inflammatory properties. “An astounding number of people experience inflammation or have inflammation-related health conditions, and curcumin and fish oil are two of the most researched supplements that can sometimes help,” he says.

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