Turmeric's popularity within the equine industry has increasingly grown over recent years. Learn more about this natural herb, how it works, and what it can do for your horse.
What is Turmeric?
Turmeric is a commonly used spice from the ginger family, has proved to be useful in the equine industry. Turmeric has been used for its bold flavor in Asian dishes as well as for medicinal purposes for centuries. It is grown and harvested for its root in India, Asia and Central America.
How does it work?
Turmeric contains the active compound, curcumin, a potent antioxidant that helps fight oxidative stress, supports a normal inflammatory response and overall health. Stress can be the culprit of many health issues. Oxidative stress produces an imbalance of free radicals, which are atoms without balanced electron’s that are unstable and react quickly with other substances. This is why antioxidants are very important, they pair with unbalanced electrons, which counters the negative side effects of oxidative stress. While inflammation is helpful to the body for a short period of time, long term inflammation can be a concern. Curcumin helps provide balance to the inflammatory pathways which result in a healthy and normal inflammatory response. Turmeric also supports healthy neural stem cells as it is able to cross the blood brain barrier, this is especially important for horses that need cognitive and neurological support.
Why use Turmeric?
Any time a horse is put under stress the immune system is compromised. A compromised immune system can result in a number of respiratory concerns causing a decrease in a horse’s performance. Research has shown that when Turmeric is used daily, it can combat the everyday stress and also help support a normal inflammatory response improving overall health of performance and aging horses.