The bright orange Indian spice turmeric may be essential for a great curry, but it is also a super food which can help to combat depression.
New research has found that curcumin, the active ingredient in the turmeric, may be a powerful antidepressant, according to Murdoch University.
Curcumin, which gives turmeric its yellow colour, appears to alleviate the symptoms of depression, according to the study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders.
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Previous research in animals and humans had similar findings, but this is the most robust human study to date showing curcumin’s ability to fight depression, lead researcher Dr Adrian Lopresti told The New Daily.
“It’s an extremely promising product,” said Dr Lopresti, a clinical psychologist.
In the study of 56 volunteers who suffered a major depressive disorder, half were given 500mg of curcumin twice daily, while the other half were given a placebo for eight weeks.
From weeks four to eight of the study, curcumin was significantly more effective than the placebo in improving several mood-related symptoms in the volunteers.
Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmuric that gives it its bright colour. Source: Getty
Curcumin was even more helpful for 18 volunteers with atypical depression, a condition that often results in significant weight gain or increased appetite and sleepiness.
The reason curcumin may alleviate depression is that it is a potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
Despite the common misconception, depression may not be caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Low levels of feel-good hormones like serotonin may in fact be a side effect of high levels of inflammation and increased levels of free radicals in the body, which curcumin seems able to fix.
This is “very good news” for those wary of pharmaceutical drugs, Dr Lopresti said – and not just as a possible natural treatment for depression.
Based on previous studies, curcumin is safe in high doses and in addition to being an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, may also protect the liver against toxins, improve blood circulation, kill cancer and harmful bacteria, parasites and fungi, prevent heart disease, treat ulcers, and prevent brain diseases such as Alzheimers.
Turmeric may also be used as a mouthwash to prevent plaque build up and be rubbed into sore teeth and gums to alleviate pain.
Indian women smear each other in turmeric to celebrate a religious festival. Source: Getty
The only problem is that the human body finds it very difficult to absorb the spice’s active ingredient, very low levels of which (sometimes less than one per cent) are present in raw turmeric. So if you want to make the most of the spice’s health benefits, the spice itself is next to useless.
You’ll need to take it as a supplement. Some of the best-researched brands are BCM-95 (used in the Murdoch University study), Meriva and Longvida.
While the study is promising, Dr Lopresti said he would not yet proscribe curcumin supplements as a first line treatment as it needs further studies with larger sample sizes.
For those wary of the side effects of antidepressant drugs, St John’s Wart and Saffron are better researched and may be “just as effective” as anti-depressants for those with mild to moderate depression, he said.
“I would use those supplements first as a natural treatment before I looked at curcumin. Saying that, there’s no harm in taking curcumin. I think there’s probably several health benefits associated with taking it,” Dr Lopresti said.
