Why Curcumin (Turmeric)

In recent years, several drugs have been developed deriving from traditional products and current drug research is actively investigating the possible therapeutic roles of many Ayruvedic and Traditional Indian medicinal therapies.
Among those being investigated is Turmeric. Its most important active ingredient is curcuminoids. Curcuminoids are phenolic compounds commonly used as a spice, pigment and additive also utilized as a therapeutic agent used in several foods.
Comprehensive research over the last century has revealed several important functions of curcuminoids. Various preclinical cell culture and animals studies suggest that curcuminoids have extensive biological activity as an antioxidant, neuroprotective, antitumor, anti-inflammatory, anti-acidogenic, radioprotective and arthritis. Different clinical trials also suggest a potential therapeutic role for curcuminoids in numerous chronic diseases such as colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, inflammatory bowel diseases.
Two active components of turmeric are the volatile oil and curcuminoids and both are present in oleoresin extracted from the turmeric root. The curcuminoids give a yellow-orange coloration to turmeric powder due to the wide electronic delocalization inside the molecules that exhibit strong absorption between 420 to 430 nm in an organic solvent. The curcuminoids are a mixture of curcumin mixed with its two derivatives, demethoxy curcumin and bis-demethoxy curcumin [2].

[2]: A. Amalraj, A. Pius, S. Gopi, S. Gopi, Biological activities of curcuminoids, other biomolecules from turmeric and their derivatives - A review, Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 2017, 7, pp. 205-233