Home » The Spicy Glow Of Turmeric – From Kitchen To Aisle

The Spicy Glow of Turmeric- From Kitchen to Aisle

Being fair in complexion was considered to be beautiful in the majority parts of India

The definition of beauty has evolved over the years. Coming from the South Asian continent, in my younger days, being beautiful was defined by how fair and pale one’s skin was. And turmeric was one of the ingredients that were used in many DIY skin care recipes. Thankfully the norms of beauty have broken through its boundaries and nowadays there is an appreciation for beauty in different colors and shapes. But still, turmeric is a popular ingredient in India and now the Western world is embracing it.

My Grandmothers DIY 

 One kitchen ingredient that I grew up using every day on my skin was turmeric. Little did I know then what it would do to my skin. I simply followed my mother’s instructions, as she followed her mother’s. It is believed to reduce facial hair growth, reduce acne, and improve complexion. It was the same ritual every morning. My mother would pour some milk into a bowl. To this, she would add a tablespoon of chickpea flour and a pinch of turmeric and set some aside for me. After enjoying the freshly brewed chai with aromas of cardamom that my mom made for us every morning, I would apply the paste she had prepared to my face, arms, and feet and sit aside for 15 minutes making sure I do not touch anything or anyone as turmeric would stain yellow. I used to enjoy the yellow glow on my skin after this treatment. This was the only makeup I had access to. The combination of turmeric, the milk that has lactic acid in it, and the chickpea flour which is rich in magnesium and zinc, helped my skin stay smooth, and soft with a soft yellow glow. This ritual was the same for 24 years of my life until I left India and moved to the United Kingdom to pursue my doctoral studies in 1999. 

Another DIY that was popular in my home was to mix lemon juice and turmeric and apply it on my face and arms. This was to reduce the sun tan. Being in south India where the temperatures were 50C for most of the year, spending outside just for an hour would make the skin darker covering it with a tan. As soon as I would come home from outside my mother would prompt me to apply the lemon and turmeric paste to reduce the tan

Different ways I used Turmeric daily besides using it in every dish we would make

Turmeric started making its way into the Western market

Fast forward to now, I started hearing about turmeric around me once again. I was excited to see turmeric capsules being sold on the aisles of Walgreens, CVS, etc a few years back. I was glad to see the Western world embracing this “Golden spice’’ that I had known as a home remedy for many things. In South India, a teaspoon of turmeric goes by default into every dish we cook and we believe that it helps in curing many ailments such as common cold, infections, diabetes, liver conditions, etc. It was known to be antimicrobial. My grandmother would mix coffee and turmeric powders to dab on the bruises that I got. She used to tell me that it would protect me from getting infected. Whenever I caught a cold, I was forced to drink warm milk with pepper and turmeric. So turmeric was a staple that we could resort to for anything and everything as a quick home remedy. Whether real or a placebo effect, it used to work.

Is Turmeric a potential therapeutic candidate and answer to some of the health conditions that exist today?

Turmeric scientifically known as Curcuma longa is known for its medicinal properties from the Vedic ages. The name is derived from the Latin word “terra merita”, which means meritorious earth. It is also known as the “yellow root,” or “golden spice.” 1 The medicinal properties and the yellow color of turmeric are often attributed to curcumin, as it has a curcuminoid compound present in it.2 Recent studies have suggested that Cucumerin can be antimicrobial 3, 4 anti-inflammatory 5, anti-oxidant 6, anti-cancerous 7, hypoglycemic 8, wound healing 9, chemopreventive 10, chemosensitizing 10, and radiosensitizing 10. It is also known to have therapeutic effects against obesity, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, liver conditions, reproductive health, acute myeloid leukemia, Alzheimer’s, and Parkinson’s diseases 10 – 17. Not knowing any of these, we simply made it as a culinary tradition to add this spice to every curry we make by default.

With its known and promising benefits, turmeric is making its way from being DIY beauty treatments to aisles in beauty stores. Formulators have the option of choosing between turmeric oil, extract, powder, or butter. It is added to the formulations as an antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, skin-lightening, and skin-firming ingredient. It is also clinically proven to treat acne, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, pruritus, dermatitis and heal photodamaged skin.18,19, 21 

Resilience HyperBright Serum and Resilience HyperBright Moisturizer is offered by Monaesi Skincare.  Both have Turmeric and many other plant-based ingredients to tackle pigmentation and age-associated issues. Resilience HyperBright Serum – MONAESI (monaesiskincare.com), Resilience HyperBright Moisturizer – MONAESI (monaesiskincare.com)

Inspire Face Oil offered by Monaesi Skincare is an extract of sandalwood, saffron, and turmeric along with many other plant extracts. Inspire Face Oil – MONAESI (monaesiskincare.com)

One caveat about turmeric or curcumin is that curcumin by itself has poor bioavailability and cannot be absorbed readily into the body. Hence for the therapeutic benefit, the specific compounds that have the effect are extracted to be used or converted into forms that can be easily absorbed. 20 Even though turmeric has come a long way with scientific data supporting its perceived benefits on health, more clinical research needs to be done to substantiate its therapeutic efficacy and the claims being made. 

While our scientific communities are investigating further, we have enough evidence to believe that this Golden Spice has something good to offer for our health and wellbeing.

References:

1. Turmeric: A condiment, cosmetic, and cure. IJDVL, Year: 2018, Volume: 84, Issue: 1
2. Discovery of curcumin, a component of golden spice, and its miraculous biological activities. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol. 2012;39(3):283–299
3. Antimicrobial Potential of Curcumin: Therapeutic Potential and Challenges to Clinical Applications. Antibiotics (Basel)2022 Feb 28;11(3):322
4. Pharmacological basis for the role of curcumin in chronic diseases: an age-old spice with modern targets..Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2009;30(2):85–94.
5. Therapeutic roles of curcumin: lessons learned from clinical trials. AAPS J 2013 Jan;15(1):195-218
6. Effects of Antioxidants on Pain Perception in Patients with Fibromyalgia-A Systematic Review. J Clin Med 2022 Apr 27;11(9):2462
7. Curcumin: a potential candidate in the prevention of cancer via modulation of molecular pathways. Biomed Res Int, 2014;2014:761608
8. Curcumin ameliorates hepatic fibrosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus – insights into its mechanisms of action. B Stefanska. British Journal of Pharmacology. Br J Pharmacol 2012 Aug;166(8):2209-11
9. Biological properties of curcumin-cellular and molecular mechanisms of action. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 2004;44(2):97–111
10. Radiosensitization and Radioprotection by Curcumin in Glioblastoma and Other Cancers. Biomedicines, 2022 Jan 28;10(2):312
11. New insights into therapeutic activity and anticancer properties of curcumin. J Exp Pharmacol 2017 Mar 31;9:31-45
12. Gupta SC, Prasad S, Kim JH, Patchva S, Webb LJ, Priyadarsini IK, et al. Multitargeting by curcumin as revealed by molecular interaction studies. Nat Prod Rep 2011;28:1937-55
13. Reproductive Effects of a Pegylated Curcumin. Caitlin J etal. Reprod Toxicol. 2012 August ; 34(1): 120–124.
14. Curcumin activates NLRC4, AIM2, and IFI16 inflammasomes and induces pyroptosis by up-regulated ISG3 transcript factor in acute myeloid leukemia cell lines. CANCER BIOLOGY & THERAPY 2022, VOL. 23, NO. 1, 328–335

Author

Rani Chirumamilla, Phd