Aging can be a difficult time. The wear and tear on a body that has led a full life can result in so many side effects. One of these is arthritis. Of course, arthritis can be caused by many things, including an overactive immune system. It’s not a disease that only impacts the elderly. Unfortunately, in addition to decreasing your function, arthritis hurts. But now, scientists may have discovered a powerful natural painkiller to fight off arthritis pain. That painkiller? Turmeric, the spice that’s often a staple in East Asian dishes. 

The “Acute Effects of Turmeric Extracts on Knee Joint Pain”

A group of researchers released an article, entitled “Acute Effects of Turmeric Extracts on Knee Joint Pain” in the Journal of Medicinal Food. The article has been available online, through the publishers, since July 29th, 2020. 

The researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial on 68 participants to measure how well turmeric would work on knee joint pain, the kind of pain that those with arthritis often suffer. Half of their trial got B-Turmactive, “a new formulation of water-soluble TEs and insoluble curcuminoids.” Half got brewer’s yeast as a placebo. (1)

The Results Of Turmeric

According to the study, “only B-Turmactive reduced pain at night while in bed and in an upright standing position.” Additionally, it was “only B-Turmactive [which] decreased high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels (P = .045) at 1 week, which indicates a prompt analgesic effect mediated by a decrease in inflammatory status.” 

What does that mean? Well, although both those who took brewer’s yeast and the turmeric solution felt better during the day, at night, only the turmeric formula helped. Furthermore, on a medical level, turmeric was decreasing the pain sensitivity. (1)

But Didn’t The Placebo Work Too?

The fact that the brewer’s yeast, the placebo drug, worked doesn’t undercut the turmeric in any way. According to an article on the placebo effect, written by Harvard Health Publishing, “science has found that under the right circumstances, a placebo can be just as effective as traditional treatments . . . placebos work on symptoms modulated by the brain, like the perception of pain.”

So, turmeric was equivalent to the placebo in certain situations. That doesn’t mean it has the same impact as nothing at all. It just means that if our brains think we’re supposed to be hurting less (say, we’re in a trial about pain-relieving effects of turmeric), then we will hurt less. (2)

Is It Just The Placebo Effect?

Interestingly enough, the scientists involved in the study think there might be more than just the placebo effect going on. Part of their conclusion states that “the fact that BY reduced some of the types of pain was unexpected and indicates bioactivity also for the heat-inactivated form.” 

What does that mean? Well, as the researchers explain, you can use heat on brewer’s yeast to ‘activate’ it. When brewer’s yeast is active, it has anti-inflammatory properties. In rheumatoid arthritis, the pain comes from the joints becoming inflamed, the active properties of brewer’s yeast can combat that. Now, it looks like inactivated brewer’s yeast might have those qualities, too. (1, 3)

Turmeric Tea Recipe

This turmeric tea recipe only contains 5 ingredients and is packed with superfoods that work to heal your body from infection and other day-to-day illnesses.

You’ll Need

• • • 1/3 cup / 80 ml good, raw honey
  • • 2 1/2 teaspoons dried turmeric
    • lemon
    • big pinch of freshly ground black pepper

The ground pepper is important as that is what makes the turmeric so powerful. The active component in turmeric is curcumin (that’s what heals our bodies), and black pepper allows our bodies to absorb it more efficiently so we don’t miss out on any of its properties.

Directions

Begin by working the turmeric into the honey until it forms a paste. You can store this mixture in a jar and keep it on hand whenever you want to make a mug of this tea. For each cup of tea, place a heaping teaspoon of the turmeric paste in the bottom of a mug. Pour hot water into the mug but make sure it isn’t boiling hot. Stir well to dissolve the turmeric paste. Add a big squeeze of juice from a lemon, and a good amount of black pepper. Stir again to incorporate everything and drink right away, making sure nothing settles at the bottom of the mug. Enjoy!