What is Curcumin ?

*Curcumin is an important active ingredient of turmeric.

It is a yellow coloring ingredient from the spice turmeric (scientific name: Curcuma longa), which is used for foods such as curry, and is a polyphenol.
Curcumin is used as a plant-based natural pigment to color pickled Japanese radishes and sheep casing for sausages, or to preserve chestnuts, apples, etc. in syrup. In the Edo period, turmeric was sent from Ryukyu(Okinawa) to Edo(Tokyo) to be used to dye cloth and paper.
Turmeric contains many ingredients. Of them, curcumin is a particularly important active ingredient. Curcumin content is regarded as an important indicator of the quality evaluation of turmeric spice.

*Ayurveda and turmeric (curcumin)

In India, the world's largest producer and consumer of turmeric, it has been used not only as spice or dye but also as a medication in Ayurveda ("the science of life"), a 5000-year-old traditional body of knowledge. Turmeric has been regarded as a cholagogue effective for liver damage and cholangitis. It has also been used as a stomachic, diuretic, dewormer and a medicine for tumors.
In India, turmeric is used as a cosmetic that is applied to the skin to keep it beautiful, and is indispensable for Hindu ceremonies. This may be a result of the traditional usage of the antioxidative property of curcumin, the main ingredient of turmeric, to protect skin from oxidative stress caused by ultraviolet radiation.

*Turmeric (curcumin) as a Chinese herbal medicine

In Chinese medicine, turmeric is used as an aromatic stomachic, cholagogue, hemostatic, emmenagogue, and expulsion agent for hepatitis, cholangitis, gastritis, irregular menstruation, hematuria, hematemesis, nosebleed, etc.
It is also called a "natural anti-inflammatory agent" that alleviates rheumatic inflammation.
In Okinawa, curcumin has been valued highly as a crude drug effective for asthma, tuberculosis, etc. since ancient times, when no specific medicine was available. Furthermore, curcumin has traditionally been used more as a healthy food material for Ucchin tea (Turmeric tea) than as a spice, and this is still true today.

*Physiological activity and medical usefulness of curcumin

Curcumin is well known for its effects in preventing hangovers. Various other physiological functions have been reported, including antioxidant, antitumor, antiamyloid, and anti-inflammatory effects. Physiological activity and medical usefulness of curcumin have recently been actively studied in Asian countries, including Japan, and in the United States.
In our experiments as well, we observed physiological effects of curcumin in prevention of cardiac diseases such as heart failure, cardiomegaly, and myocardial infarction. Various applications are expected in the future.

Thus, curcumin is the "secret" ingredient of turmeric. Elucidation of its physiological functions has been long-awaited.

*Problems with curcumin, and their solutions

Various effects of curcumin have been discovered, and it is still being studied. Its applications pose the following problems.

Curcumin is difficult for the body to absorb.
Curcumin is lipophilic and is therefore relatively insoluble in water. When curcumin is consumed, most of it is excreted without being absorbed into the body. When curcumin is consumed as a supplement, generally only a small amount of it is absorbed into the body. Its absorption efficiency is low.
Improving bio availability has been the most important issue for maximizing the efficacy of curcumin.

The difficulty of using curcumin for food and beverages
Curcumin is difficult to use as a food material because it is relatively insoluble in water, is easily discolored when exposed to light, and has a peculiar odor and taste. Consequently, use of curcumin for food and beverages has been problematic.