MILK 'N HONEY HEALTH FOODS

 

Beware of adulterated turmeric products

 

       The herb turmeric has become very much in demand because it is the source for the natural anti-inflammatory compound curcumin.  Because curcumin has been shown to be effective in relieving the pain of arthritis and other inflammatory conditions, sales of turmeric products have proliferated in recent years. Turmeric has been the top selling dietary supplement in health food stores for the past five years. It ranked fifth in sales in mainstream retail outlets in 2017.

       As is often the case where a product has proven itself to be effective, unscrupulous merchants enter the marketplace with inferior versions of the product in an effort to take advantage of the demand and make a quick profit. Unfortunately for those who purchase these inferior products, they don’t get the results they are looking for and conclude the product they are using is being falsely marketed.

       Recently, synthetic curcumin has made its way into the marketplace. Synthetic curcumin can cost one third less than the natural curcumin which is derived from the herb turmeric.  All the research showing the effectiveness of curcumin has been done with natural curcumin.

       Some turmeric products currently available have been shown to have combinations of synthetic and natural curcumin and curcumin derived from low quality turmeric.  Some currently available turmeric products haven also been shown to have artificial coloring agents added to make the turmeric look better than what it is.

       Mark Blumenthal, executive director of the American Botanical Council, was recently quoted as saying that “While there are companies that produce and market high-quality, authentic, reliable turmeric powder and extract supplements, there are also adulterated turmeric ingredients on the market.”   He went on to say that “the increased popularity of herbs like turmeric attracts producers and supplies who are often more concerned about making a profit than they are about selling a high-quality botanical ingredient.”  

       In view of the identification of adulterated turmeric products in the marketplace, I recommend staying away from “off-brand” turmeric supplements and only using turmeric products from reputable companies who have a demonstrated history of product integrity. At Milk ‘N Honey we carry turmeric products from three such companies. 

       Our top selling turmeric product is Curamin from the company EuroParma (AKA Terry Naturally). This company is owned by Terry Lemerond whom I have personally known for over 30 years.  Terry makes every effort to ensure that the ingredients that make up his products are of the highest quality available.  Because of this, his products consistently produce results.  We get consistent repeat sales on Terry’s turmeric based products. Customers using these products are experiencing consistent relief from the pain associated with various inflammatory conditions.  We can confidently recommend Terry’s products because of their track record of reliability.

       Three other companies producing high quality turmeric products are New Chapter, Himalaya and Garden of Life. Himalaya has been in business since 1930 and is known worldwide for quality herbal formulas and other nutritional products.  We carry a product from Himalaya called Turmeric 95.

       The company New Chapter has been in business for 35 years and is known for using probiotics to create fermentation of the ingredients that make up their supplements.  This process has been shown to enhance the nutritional value and bio-availability of their formulas. We carry Turmeric Force from New Chapter. This turmeric supplement is produced using what is called supercritical extraction. This method allows for the full spectrum of components of the herb to be present in the end product.

         Garden of Life is a well known industry leader in producing food based products and using organically grown herbs in the manufacture of its supplements. Garden of Life offers several turmeric based products using organically grown turmeric.

       There has been a lot of research showing the benefits of using turmeric based products.  However, these benefits can only be realized if the turmeric being used is of high quality.  All three of the above mentioned companies pay close attention to the manner in which the turmeric for their products is grown, harvested and processed.  Because of this, you can be confident you are getting a quality turmeric product and not some adulterated product marketed by a company more interested in making a profit than interested in your health.  

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