Description
What is turmeric for horses
Turmeric for horses. Turmeric, Turmeric root, Koenjit or Curcuma longa is a plant native to India. The medicinal plant belongs to the Zingiberaceae or ginger-like family and is best known for its turmeric root, with a bright yellow color. This root contains the active ingredient Curcumin, a powerful antioxidant. In Asia, turmeric is almost impossible to imagine cooking without, but research has shown that turmeric is much more versatile as just a flavoring agent. For example, it has beneficial and anti-inflammatory properties for the treatment of all kinds of wounds. The use of Curcuma longa root in dishes is even associated with the fact that in Asia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease are much less prevalent than in the West.
Effect of Turmeric in horses
Turmeric has several positive effects in horses. For example, it helps support digestion in various ways;
- Turmeric helps stimulate the production of digestive fluids
- the herb contributes to better fat digestion
- It supports liver and bile function
In addition, Turmeric has anti-inflammatory effects. This is because curcumin binds to cyclooxygenase (COX-2), an enzyme which plays a major role in the process of inflammation, reducing the inflammatory response. Turmeric can also support the musculoskeletal system by keeping joints supple. Finally, turmeric is also used externally due to its skin restorative properties.*
Turmeric and black pepper
It is often advised to combine Turmeric and black pepper to promote absorption of the Turmeric. That pepper, or rather the piperine in pepper, lends a hand to nutrient absorption is true. The bioactive compound piperine, an alkaloid, is an active component found in the peppercorn. This alkaloid has a positive effect on the bioavailability of various nutrients such as vitamins, minerals and amino acids. Currently there are two theories that explain this:
- Piperine makes it easier for the nutrients to pass through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream, this has to do with the size of the molecules trying to pass them.
- Piperine can slow down the breakdown of nutrients by the liver, increasing the level of the substance ingested with piperine in the blood.
Piperine is released from the peppercorn after grinding, the problem with the substance, however, is that it is not stable. This means that once the peppercorn is ground, the released piperine begins to volatilize, or disappear. Under the influence of UV radiation, this process occurs even faster. Thus, if we were to add ground peppercorns to our HorseAdds Turmeric, some or all of the positive effect of piperine would have already dissipated by the time you feed the mixture to your horse. This is why we have chosen to offer Turmeric pure, with no additives. To promote absorption we do give the tip to possibly add ground black pepper, however, it is of utmost importance to grind this pepper just before feeding so that the piperine is still present.
*Evaluation of health claim is ongoing.