Every Monday, I make a Bolognese. I learned the recipe-less technique from my Tuscan mom whose simple dishes have consistently outdone some of the 5 star chef creations I’ve had at Manhattan restaurants.
With two kids at home, this traditional Italian sauce becomes a stealth transport vehicle for kale, beets, cilantro, and all manner of otherwise snubbed delicacies. For the past two years, I have given the dish a twist that my Nonna wouldn’t recognize — 2 tablespoons of organic turmeric.
This wonder-spice is also a mainstay of my anti-inflammatory work with patients in my practice where I use liposomal preparations of curcumin, the natural phenols responsible for turmeric’s yellow color, when I suspect their symptoms stem from a challenged immune system.
Mild in taste and a major feature of curried traditional foods from around the world, turmeric is a member of the ginger family. As it turns out, it has been consumed for thousands of years — ever since people used their relationship to food and their environments to enhance their health and wellness.
One of the many shortcomings of pharmaceuticals is that the intensity of their primary effect so far outpaces what would be achieved naturally that it’s the difference between a skilled driver sensing the nuances of the road and putting a heavy rock on the gas pedal. The collateral damage exacted by medications represents the fact that they have “unintended” effects that may not be desirable. This is how we develop the “whack-a-mole” phenomenon of suppressing symptoms only to cause others. Homeopathy, herbalism, and the strategic use of nutriceuticals afford practitioners and patients a gentler, but effective means of navigating the road to health.
A recent study entitled Efficacy and Safety of Curcumin in Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial sought to substantiate this claim. In this study, 3 groups of 20 participants with Major Depression according to a commonly used scale, were randomized to Prozac, Prozac + 1g of oil-based curcumin (of decent but not optimal potency), and curcumin alone for 6 weeks. The proportion of responders was highest in the combination group (77.8%) than in the Prozac (64.7%) or curcumin (62.5%) groups, but these differences were not statistically significant. The authors emphasized curcumin’s high degree of safety up to dosages of 12g daily.
In conclusion, the researchers noted:
“This study provides first clinical evidence that curcumin may be used as an effective and safe modality for treatment in patients with MDD [major depressive disorder] without concurrent suicidal ideation or other psychotic disorders.”
Important considerations for the interpretation of this data:
The raters but not participants were blinded, so there is a significant risk of bringing the “active placebo” effect of antidepressant that Irving Kirsch PhD has documented where patients treated with antidepressants respond to their expectations around treatment and to perceived side-effects (“it’s starting to work!”) rather than to the medication itself.
Patients were also allowed to take benzodiazepines, an important uncontrolled variable and a more likely confounder in the medication groups as antidepressants disrupt sleep.
Pepper is known to enhance absorption and was not used in this formulation (who knows what was — GMO soy oil?).
There is unlikely to be a one-pill cure. The effect of curcumin in this study should be viewed as a launching pad for myriad other wellness changes that can support mood including stabilization of blood sugar, elimination of inflammatory foods, chemicals, and pesticides.
How Turmeric Helps with Depression
How could a spice actually help depressive symptoms? There is mounting evidence from animal models, in vitro, and human studies that elucidate mechanisms of curcumin’s sophisticated effects which include anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, immuno-modulatory, anti-cancer, and neuroprotective. Turmeric is a reactive oxygen scavenger, meaning that it turns on antioxidant producing genes (NRF2) and supports synthesis of glutathione, inhibits inflammatory enzymes, and supports liver detox. Inflammation leads to changes in the brain’s ability to properly regulate hormones (adrenal, thyroid, sex), and to changes in the production of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, as well as to changes in plasticity or the ability to regenerate brain cells. Curcumin, via the culinary spice turmeric as delivery vehicle, hits a lot of these problem areas all at once.
As a type A “doer” who multi-tasks by necessity, the idea of a food that goes to town on the bad and supports the good is wonderful, and to be able to use this agent therapeutically is an essential consideration for every provider.
Somehow, I don’t expect to see this paper sandwiched between glossy Pharma ads in this month’s American Journal of Psychiatry, but now, at least, you know it exists!
Oh, that was delicious!!! I used Pioneer Woman’s recipe. I added grated zucchini with the grated carrot. I added turmeric near the end. And I stirred in my raw cream as I took it off the heat at the end so I hopefully preserved some of those benefits too! Oops, almost forgot – served it over a choice of spaghetti noodles or spaghetti squash with butter, salt, and pepper. The kids’ only complaint was that they thought I was going to add carrots and zucchini; the veggies are completely unnoticeable:-)
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Thank you for this excellent and relevant article. I’m beginning to taper off nefazodone after about 20 years of use. This knowledge will be another arrow in my quiver.
I swear by Golden Milk: Blend 1/4 cup powdered turmeric into enough water to make a thick paste while gently heating the mixture. To make the golden milk, heat a cup of milk, a splash of olive oil or ghee, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of the paste, and honey to taste. Cinnamon is a nice addition. Drink warm before bed. This is great for soothing aching joints, better sleep etc. I don’t drink it every day, but in winter it’s a nice alternative to hot chocolate. The oil is important, without it turmeric can cause heartburn. The paste will keep in the fridge for months.
Thanks Christine, that sounds like a wonderful suggestion!
I juice it and add it to Kombucha or Kefir for the second fermentation.
There is a great fermented turmeric supplement called rest easy. It was recommended to us by Dr. Thomas Cowan.
I’d like the recipe as well.
For those who follow a paleo type diet, there is a great recipe for bolognese in Diane Sanfillippo’s Practical Paleo Cookbook. She replaces the traditional milk with coconut milk and serves it with spaghetti squash. I actually crave having this dish cooked this way now. I have found this book to be a great reference from which to create my own combinations, but for those who don’t have a lot of cooking experience, it is still a very approachable cookbook with good tasting paleo recipes.
I bought some turmeric on the strength of reports of it’s anti-inflammatory properties, only to discover that every time I consume it, I get heartburn a few hours afterwards.
I’ve been hearing alot about turmeric lately and still trying to find the best way to integrate it into food on daily basis. Small study you cited, however, it could be promising. I’ve always heard that depression could be due to upset gut flora caused by a processed diet and its resulting inflammation and nutrient deficiencies.
As far as depression goes, upset gut flora certainly would not help matters, but having lived with MDD and dysthymia for most of my life, I don’t think it’s the root cause for a lot of people. I do know that therapeutic doses of the right nutrients/herbs can truly help someone with these disorders though. Personally, I had good results with fish oil in my transition off of medication (which I do not knock the use of). From my experience and that of others I have talked to, there is usually a trigger event for a depressive episode. The person gets stuck in that place beyond the time frame in which a healthy person would be able to deal with it. I think deficiencies/inflammation can contribute to the chemistry of getting stuck, and correcting them can help with correcting brain chemistry to get unstuck.
Sorry if this comes off wrong; having dealt with these issues, I feel the need to educate and promote awareness. Talking about it helps others find the info to heal and helps reduce the stigma of mental health issues.
Just wanted to thank you for posting this, I don’t think it comes off wrong in the slightest. I found it very helpful!