The next herb in our series is another one that may be hiding out in your kitchen, turmeric. While turmeric is well known for it benefits when used as a food, when used as a liquid herbal medicine or in tablet form it gives us the ability to get the most from its the active constituent, known as Curcumin.(1)
While mainly being known for its anti-inflammatory effects,(2) it also holds a valuable place as a herb to help you calm the farm. Two Meta analysis were conducted looking at the efficacy of curcumin for depression, one in 2017 found that not only curcumin was well tolerated and effective in improving depression, three studies also found that it provided a significant improvement in anxiety.(3) The other in 2019(4) was able to support these findings, showing that curcumin was able to provide an overall improvement in depression and anxiety and was again well tolerated. Leading to it being suggested as a standard care option for depression.(4)
It is important to note that these studies were investigating the isolated active constituents of Turmeric, so you probably will not get the same effect from household Turmeric added to a meal. This is where working with a qualified naturopath or herbalist comes in, meet our team at Herbs on the Hill here.
- Stohs SJ, Chen O, Ray SD, Ji J, Bucci LR, Preuss HG. Highly Bioavailable Forms of Curcumin and Promising Avenues for Curcumin-Based Research and Application: A Review. Molecules. 2020;25(6).
- Peng Y, Ao M, Dong B, Jiang Y, Yu L, Chen Z, et al. Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Curcumin in the Inflammatory Diseases: Status, Limitations and Countermeasures. Drug Design, Development and Therapy. 2021 Nov 2;15:4503–25.
- Ng QX, Koh SSH, Chan HW, Ho CYX. Clinical Use of Curcumin in Depression: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association. 2017;18(6):503-8.
- Fusar-Poli L, Vozza L, Gabbiadini A, Vanella A, Concas I, Tinacci S, et al. Curcumin for Depression: A Meta-Analysis. Critical Reviews In Food Science And Nutrition. 2020;60(15):2643-53.