What’s in curry and why is it good for you?

By Jeremy Johnson, PharmD, PhD on

First, what’s curry? It’s actually a mixtures of spices with the most common ingredient being Turmeric. Turmeric is a root that gives curry a bright orange color that so many people are familiar with. If we break down Turmeric to the molecular level there are a class of phytochemicals (i.e. antioxidants, polyphenols) known as curcuminoids.

Curcumin is the most abundant antioxidant in turmeric and as a result has received the most attention for its health promoting properties. To put this into perspective as of today there are >3,500 published articles on curcumin which you can find at www.PubMed.gov and this number will grow every day. There are >100 clinical trials that have been performed using Curcumin in areas that span from heart disease to cancer to diabetes to arthritis and more.

By eating a curry made with turmeric you can get these beneficial antioxidants at the dinner table. Curry has become a staple for our children and if it were up to them we would eat it every day! If you haven’t tried it yet now is as good of a time as any!

What’s in curry and why is it good for you? The main ingredient is turmeric which has the antioxidant curcumin, however, other ingredients including ginger, peppers, tomatoes all have beneficial antioxidants.

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Jeremy Johnson, PharmD, PhD

Dr. Johnson is a tenured associate Professor and licensed Pharmacist.

His research on plant medicine has led to more than 45 publications and abstracts.This research has been presented at international meetings in the USA, France, Turkey, Peru, Israel, Austria, and Italy.

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