See that teaspoon? Thats what you need for your flakes.

Today I want to talk about the benefits of eating turmeric for psoriasis, and especially, of taking a supplement known as curcumin.

Many of you curry-eating flakers out there might know that its used by the bucket-load in Indian cuisine. It has a warm yellow colour, an earthy, peppery taste, and it stains absolutely everything a nice ten-day old urine colour. So dont get any on your pants.

Turmerics use in Asia goes back at least 2,500 years and its not just contained to the cooking pot. In fact, this amazing spice was highly valued in traditional healing practices, especially when it came to skin conditions. Which is where psoriasis comes in.

It looks pleasant enough right?

So why is turmeric so good for our flaky skin?

Science has no proven that it contains certain compounds that are fantastic for fighting chronic inflammation, such as psoriasis.

The most important compound of them all for us flakers is curcumin. It reduces histamine levels (which are responsible for inflammation), blocks a molecule called NF-kB, which turns on the inflammation response in cells, and a does a whole range of other good things.

Curcumin has even been found to treat Alzheimers, prevent cancer, destroy bacteria, boost brain function and protect the liver from toxin damage which also helps to reduce psoriasis as the liver is essential for cleaning the blood and getting rid of impurities.

There are several studies out there supporting the claim that curcumin is great for psoriasis:

In thisstudy, patients with at least 6% psoriasis coverage were given three 500 mg pills of curcumin three times a day.At the end of four months, two patients saw excellent improvements of over 80%. The researchers did note that theres a problem with it not being readily absorbed by the body. Ill show you how to get around that later!

In another clinical trial, this time conducted by the University of California, curcuminwas put up againstcalcipotriol, which many of you might know as the branded cream Dovonex. Patients in this study either used an alcoholic gel with 1% curcumin, or the Dovonex. The ones who used curcumin did far better: five had morethan a 90% improvementafter 26 weeks of treatment, and the remainingfivepatients showed a 5085% improvementafter 38 weeks.

Before you run off to your local shop to get some, there are two little catches.

Firstly, only 3% of turmeric powder, by weight, is curcumin. So for you to get the full benefits Ive mentioned above, you would have to gobble hundreds of grams of turmeric powder every day. Youd youd have to add it to your Weetabix and froth it up in your latte, and thats before lunch!

There is a workaround for this, which Ill mention later.

Secondly, curcumin is not absorbed very well by the body. This is why you have to ingest it with black pepper, as itcontains a compound called piperine which increased the bodys absorption of curcumin by a whopping 2000%!

There are several ways of using turmeric for psoriasis. Ill go over the rather unpleasant ones first.

I made and drank this for your benefit, reader!

First of all, you can consume it. Its simple, just mix it in a glass and drink it, trying not to gag. Its super inexpensive and should set you back only $1 or $2 dollars for a nice bag.

All you have to do ismix one teaspoon of turmeric powder with a bit of juice and a teaspoon of black pepper. The last part is essential as otherwise it will be broken down before having any noticeable effect.

I wont lie; its not like a nice cold cup of OJ in the morning. The pepper gets stuck between your teeth and it feels like youve just washed down a cup of curry.

But it does the job. I took it this way for ages as it was the cheapest method available, and I was extremely happy with the results.

Remember, you can also add a pinch to your favourite marinade or saut it with onions to increase your daily intake. Get creative.

Id like to see you laugh when you try to scrub it off!

Secondly, you can rub it onto your psoriasis patches.

This is also simple, but highly, highly dangerous to your wardrobe. Or anything that stains for that matter. Just mix the powder with a bit of water, or Vaseline, and whack it on.

At this point I have to emphasise that turmeric is a pain in the ass to remove! Its like having the Midas touch, but only in colour. Your skin, your shirt, your iPhone, your dishes, your dog, your girlfriend everything you touch will turn yellow. The first time I tried it, it took three days for it to come off. My hands were so yellow it looked like I had jaundice.

To get around this, buy powder with any extra dyes removed, such as Starwest Botanicals Organic Turmeric.Starwest turmeric is still yellow but they do not add additional dyes to make it look even yellower, like some other brands.

However, the effect was simply amazing, particularly after a few runs. It really soothes psoriasis when its inflamed!

The most convenient solution that Ive found, is taking turmeric pill capsules. Just the amount of time they save me from splashing around in the kitchen with turmeric makes them worthwhile.

If youre like me and are not in love with the taste of turmeric, then this route may be for you too. The brand Ive started ordering regularly is called Dr. Danielles Organic Curcumin.

Its comes in a bottleof 120 capsules, each one containing 500 mg. At two a day it lasts me for two months, which is pretty affordable when its only $24. 95

As a bonus, its already pre-mixed with a compound called bioperine, which is basically a branded form ofpiperine, so you dont have to swallow any black pepper when you take it!

For me, turmeric, and curcumin by extension, is a staple in the psoriasis-fighting cupboard. Ive been using it regularly for over two years now and cannot recommend it highly enough!

I partly bought this brand because it had great reviews from other flakers on Amazon. For example:

Julie Casbar says: I used this product because I have psoriasis and nothing pharmaceutical was working or was too expensive. I found that this tumeric worked excellently for inflamation! My skin cleared within 6 weeks between diet and using the tumeric.

Chad Phillippi says: I suffer from extreme psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, along with some IBS, just because God has a sense of humor, I suppose. Ive been using this product for a few weeks now and have really noticed a change in my body for the better! My joints, fingers, ankles, and toes dont seem to ache as often as they did prior to the product. Also, my stomach issues have gotten a lot better!

Let me know if you end up trying it!

Related flaky goodness

Tags: psoriasis, supplement, turmeric

redblob I'm just an average 28 year old living with psoriasis. Over the last decade, I've tried everything, from real snake poison to rubbing banana peels over my body. I've finally found an approach that's working for me, and I'm sharing it with all the flakers out there. But Psoriasis Blob is not about one man, it's a growing community of great, red people.

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Turmeric's Amazing Effect on Psoriasis