Turmeric and Curcumin Good for Your Dog’s and Cats Health

Adding Turmeric (Curcuma longa) to your dog’s, cats daily diet can provide your dog and cat with a vast array of health benefits. 

In this article...

1. Turmeric and Curcumin - a Brief Overview
2. Health Benefits of Turmeric
3. Health Benefits of Curcumin
4. The Dog Food Industry and Turmeric
5. Adding Turmeric or Curcumin to Your Dogs, Cats Daily Diet
6. Choosing an Appropriate Product - what type of turmeric to use
7. How to Store Turmeric and Curcumin 
8. Cautions and Drug Interactions
9. Additional Information on Herbs and Spices For Your Dog, Cat
10. General Guide to Daily Intake of Herbs and Spices


1. Turmeric, Curcumin - a Brief Overview

Turmeric, a spice is derived from the root of the Curcuma longa (also known as Indian Saffron), a perennial plant of the ginger family. The exact genesis of the plant is not known as the plant’s original origins are lost in the history of ancient trade; however it is likely that the plant originated in South East Asia or South Asia. 

The Curcuma longa’s root system includes oblong tubers - similar to those of the ginger plant. The tubers are boiled or steamed, dried, and then ground. The resulting powder has a pungent slightly bitter flavour.   

Although dogs have a much better sense of smell than humans - a dog’s noise has a minimum of 300 million olfactory sensors to our paltry 3 million, the dog’s sense of taste is less than ours (a dog averages 1700 taste buds whereas a human has 9000 taste buds). This means that the slightly bitter taste of turmeric is not off-putting for the majority of dogs. My dogs and cats have turmeric mixed into their food daily.

The scent of turmeric is reminiscent of oranges and ginger. Once it is dried and ground into a powder the scent is slightly bitter and medicinal.

Turmeric is a deep, warm yellow-orange color. The rich colour of turmeric comes from a naturally occurring pigment in the Curcuma longa tuber – the pigment is called Curcumin. Curry gets its colour from curcumin and some of its flavour from turmeric. Turmeric is a mainstay of India dishes and is also used as a substitute for saffron. 

This revered spice has been used as a dye, flavouring and medicine since 600 BC. Turmeric is a very important spice in India – its use dates back 4000 years to the Vedic culture. India is the main source of the world’s supply of Turmeric, China and Indonesia also grow and produce the spice.

2. Health Benefits of Turmeric

Curcumin is thought to be the principal pharmacological agent in turmeric. As an ancient medication turmeric was used in traditional Asian medicine as a blood purifier, liver ailment mediator, for the healing of skin diseases and sores and wounds and as a stomach tonic. In Thailand turmeric was used as an astringent, anti-diarrheal agent, appetite stimulant, as a carminative, to treat dizziness, gonorrhoea, peptic ulcers and as a topical treatment to stop bleeding, treat insect bites, treat teeth and gums, eradicate ringworms and heal wounds.

Today, turmeric is one of the most extensively researched herb-spices for pharmacological use. It is favored for its potentially beneficial use in treating and/or reducing symptoms linked to an extensive range of health conditions due to its excellent qualities as an:

• Analgesic (pain fighting);
• Antibacterial;
• Anti-inflammatory;
• Anti-oxidant;
• Antiseptic;
•  Anti-tumour agent (anti-carcinogen);
• Neuroprotector.

Turmeric has been shown to be effective in preventing and/or treating:

• Aids in fat metabolism and weight management;
• Allergic respiratory disorders - Ashthma;
• Arthritis;
• Curcumin’s anti-inflammatory properties relieves aches and pains associated with arthritis (see additional information under curcumin below);
• Beneficial for trauma from accidents as it helps lower serum levels which would otherwise cause massive inflammation leading to the shutdown of the heart and other organs;
• Brain Health;
• Artherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries – heart disease) by lowering bad LDL cholesterol;
• Bacterial infections – the volatile oil is an external broad spectrum antibiotic which acts to prevent bacterial infection in wounds;
• Blood purifier – beneficial in the treatment of skin disorders;
• Cancer inhibitor;
• Cardiovascular conditions;
• Chemotherapy – reduces the negative side-effects of chemotherapy;
• Detoxifier – turmeric is a natural liver detoxifier;
• Disinfectant for wounds and burns (antiseptic and antibacterial);
• Digestive disorders;
• Turmeric induces the flow of bile which acts to breakdown fat;
• Protects against injuries caused by some medications;
• Parkinsons disease;
• Helps prevent gas/bloating;
• Inflammation (turmeric’s anti-inflammatory quality has been compared to topical hydrocortisone);
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD;
• Memory disorders;
• Neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve)
• Peptic ulcers;
• Skin disorders;
• 

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