(NaturalHealth365) With every other food being dubbed a ‘superfood’ or miracle, it can be difficult to separate the hype from true healing potential. But, some foods really do live up to their reputation – such as turmeric.  In fact, thousands of studies have been conducted on turmeric (you read that number right), and researchers still can’t stop discovering more amazing, clinically-proven benefits.

And we’re not just talking about general, hard-to-notice benefits. Its virtues are specific and targeted – studies have shown this amazing superfood to be effective in helping people with many different conditions, including pain and other inflammatory issues, depression, eye disease, high cholesterol, stroke and heart problems, diabetes, and cancer.

New evidence even demonstrates that a newly discovered turmeric component called ar-turmerone can increase the production of brain stem cells by 50-80%. Researchers also believe that it offers profound neuroprotection against oxidative stress, and therefore could be an effective remedy for those suffering with Alzheimer’s, depression, and other neurological diseases.

How does turmeric do it?

Most researchers agree that turmeric’s profound healing abilities can be traced to its powerful anti-inflammatory action.

Anti-inflammatory foods and substances tend to operate in one of the following ways: they neutralize inflammation-causing free radicals in the body with a flood of antioxidants, or they stop the body from producing the chemicals that initiate inflammation in the first place (this is how aspirin and most over-the-counter pain medications work).

But turmeric alleviates inflammation through both of these mechanisms at the same time. It even stimulates the body’s production of its own four most powerful antioxidant enzymes, namely superoxide dismutase, glutathione, glutathione reductase, and glutathione-S-transferase.

This multi-pronged approach allows turmeric to work wonders for the acute symptoms of inflammation – such as aches, pains, arthritis, and low immune function – while also warding off the many longer-term degenerative conditions associated with chronic inflammation.

Just make sure you’re taking the right kind of turmeric for a ‘superfood’ effect

Here’s the catch: most of the turmeric supplements, powders, and pills you see in stores provide very little actual benefit. The same goes for raw turmeric root or powder. This is because turmeric powder (and even fresh turmeric) has a fairly low bioavailability – which means that a good portion of it isn’t properly absorbed by your body.

Because turmeric is difficult to absorb, it must be formulated in a certain way that allows the body to absorb and utilize its entire spectrum of nutrients. Otherwise, it’s nearly impossible to achieve all the benefits discussed above.

One of the best ways to ensure maximum absorption of turmeric is liposomalization, a cutting-edge formulation method that binds the beneficial molecules in turmeric with phospholipids (fats). This process makes turmeric alkaloids fat-soluble, and thus able to pass through the fatty membranes of the cells in your body.

Clinical research has demonstrated that liposomes can increase the bioavailability of water-soluble nutrients by 15 times or more. Liposomal turmeric has become much more affordable and accessible, so don’t worry spending your money on low-bioavailability turmeric products.

For even higher bioavailability, a turmeric extract must be full-spectrum (on the contrary, most turmeric products contain only isolated curcumin). Turmeric alkaloids work in synergy with one another, so a formula that contains all of them is bound to be superior.

Editor’s note: Taking curcumin or turmeric in any form is great. But, NaturalHealth365 favors the use of turmeric – the whole medicinal spice – over curcumin, especially in supplemental form. Experience the combined healing power of turmeric and the most powerful delivery system on the market. Click here to order today.