Is turmeric Primal? You bet! And most of you know by now I’m a big fan of this ancient spice. Matter of fact I have been taking this herb in supplemental form and using as a cooking spice everyday for a couple years with amazing results.

Even though we know them as spices mainly used in curry, curcumin and turmeric have caused a buzz in the U.S. as a powerful natural herbal supplement. Turmeric comes from the root of the Curcuma longa plant; it has a tough brown skin and a deep orange flesh. When discussing curcumin, you may also hear it described as turmeric. Often the two are used interchangeably, but there is a difference: turmeric is the yellow powder to flavor foods, and curcumin is the chemical contained in turmeric.

The History of Curcumin and Turmeric

For thousands of years, Asian, Indian and Indonesian cultures used curcumin and turmeric as herbal medicines and remedies. In various Asian folk medicine traditions, turmeric was used to treat conditions such as diarrhea, fever, bronchitis, colds, parasitic worms, leprosy, and bladder and kidney inflammation. Herbalists have applied turmeric salve to bruises, leech bites, festering eye infections, mouth inflammations, skin conditions, and infected wounds. Some people inhale smoke from burning turmeric to relieve chronic coughs. Some herbalists consider turmeric mixed with hot water and sugar to be a remedy for colds.