Organic Lakadong Turmeric - Curcumin 6-9%
Organic Lakadong Turmeric - Curcumin 6-9%

Organic Lakadong Turmeric

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  • Inflammation
  • Joints and muscles
  • Digestion and bile
  • Liver and blood sugar
  • Skin health
$25.99250 g

Often taken alongside
Royal Green Hojari Frankincense 140 g · whole resin tears · $69.00 View product

What Lakadong turmeric is

Lakadong is a variety of turmeric grown in the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya, in the far north east of India. The whole root, dried and finely ground. Nothing else goes into the pouch.

What separates it from every other turmeric is curcumin, the yellow compound all the research is built on. Supermarket turmeric sits at 1 to 3%. This tests at 6 to 9%, so a quarter teaspoon here does the work of a full teaspoon of the ordinary stuff.

You can see it before you taste it. The colour is deep burnt orange rather than pale yellow. The smell coming off it is warm and resinous, closer to a spice market than a supermarket jar. In the cup it is smooth, earthy and faintly sweet, with none of the bitter chalkiness people put up with in a turmeric latte. It is unlike any turmeric you will have had before.

Worth knowing

Why most turmeric is hard to trust

A major study of 356 turmeric samples across South Asia found 14% contained detectable lead, often from lead chromate added to make poor quality turmeric look brighter.

The other problem is potency. Most turmeric contains only 1 to 3% curcumin. Many products do not state the level at all.

What it helps with

Inflammation balance

This is what most people come to turmeric for. It is the reason the curcumin number on the front matters. Curcumin is a strong anti inflammatory. It works on the inflammatory pathways themselves rather than masking the result, which is why it is taken daily and over months rather than for one bad day.

You do not have to be inflamed to take it. Prevention is better than cure. A daily cup is as much about keeping inflammation down as bringing it down.

At 6 to 9% you are getting two to three times the curcumin of ordinary turmeric out of the same spoonful.

Joint and muscle comfort

Stiff knees first thing in the morning, aching hands, the joints that complain after a long day standing up. Turmeric is one of the oldest remedies for all of it and one of the best supported. Most people take it for everyday stiffness and for getting through the colder months more comfortably.

Digestion and bile flow

Turmeric prompts the gallbladder to release bile, which is what your body uses to break down fat. That is the reason it sits in almost every curry across South Asia. It eases the heavy, bloated feeling after a rich meal and helps keep things moving.

Liver support

The liver is where turmeric has both a long traditional reputation and a growing modern one. It is taken by people carrying fatty liver and by people who simply want to support the organ that processes everything they eat and drink.

Blood sugar and metabolic health

Turmeric is well studied for fasting blood glucose and for the longer term markers your doctor checks. It is a common daily addition for people keeping an eye on both. It is a food and it does not replace anything you have been prescribed.

Cholesterol and heart health

With regular intake, LDL and triglycerides tend to move in the right direction and the blood vessels themselves work a little better. It is taken daily as one part of a wider routine rather than on its own.

Mood and mental wellbeing

Curcumin has been trialled for low mood with encouraging results, which is unusual for something you can keep in a kitchen cupboard. It is taken as daily support alongside everything else you do, not as a treatment.

Skin

Drunk daily for clearer, calmer skin. It works from the inside out, through the same anti inflammatory and antioxidant action behind everything else on this list. Turmeric has been part of the daily diet for the complexion across South Asia for as long as there are records of it.

Antioxidant protection

Curcumin mops up free radicals directly and also raises the body's own antioxidant enzymes, so it works on two fronts at once. This is the layer sitting underneath most of the other benefits on this page.

How to use

For better curcumin absorption, pair turmeric with a source of fat. A pinch of black pepper or cayenne pepper is also commonly added to help increase curcumin absorption.

01

Golden milk

Warm one cup of milk of your choice and whisk in ½–1 teaspoon of turmeric with a pinch of black pepper.

Simmer gently for 3–5 minutes, then sweeten with honey if you like.

02

Turmeric tea

Stir ½–1 teaspoon into hot water with a pinch of black pepper.

Add honey to taste and a little ghee or coconut oil.

03

Quick turmeric shot

Mix 1 teaspoon of turmeric with a pinch of black pepper and a little ghee or coconut oil in a small amount of warm water. Stir well and drink.

04

Everyday cooking

Use it in curries, dahl, soups, rice, roasted vegetables or eggs.

Add it while cooking with oil or another source of fat. Lakadong turmeric is naturally intense in both colour and flavour, so start with a little and adjust to taste.

Why this turmeric is different from the supermarket jar

Lakadong is not ordinary turmeric. It grows for around nine months in the mineral rich hills of Meghalaya, developing naturally high 6 to 9% curcumin levels, far above the amount found in most standard turmeric. You can see the difference when you open the pouch: deep orange colour, strong aroma and a richer, warmer taste.

Ours is certified organic, harvested at maturity, dried and finely ground with no added colour, starch, anti caking agents or fillers. Just the root, grown slowly and left powerful.

Curcumin at 6 to 9%

Curcumin is the yellow compound turmeric is studied for. It is the whole reason a percentage belongs on the label. Ordinary turmeric runs 1 to 3%. At 6 to 9%, a quarter teaspoon of this carries roughly what a full teaspoon of the usual powder does.

Turmerones, the part you smell

The aromatic oil fraction that hits you when the pouch is opened. Turmerones appear to help carry curcumin across the gut wall, which is one reason whole ground root behaves differently from a stripped extract. A weak smell is a sign of old or poor quality root.

It clumps, which is correct

Pure ground turmeric pulls moisture out of the air and sets into soft lumps. Anti caking and flow agents are what stop that happening in a supermarket jar. There are none in here, so break the lumps with the back of a spoon and carry on.

Nothing added for colour

Lead chromate, a bright yellow industrial pigment, is used in parts of the turmeric trade to make poor quality root look rich and fresh. Buying single origin from one organic growing region, with the curcumin declared, is how you stay out of that market entirely.

The tradition

A daily food before it was a supplement

Turmeric has been cooked into food every day across South Asia for centuries, taken with fat and pepper long before anyone measured why that helps. In the Unani and Ayurvedic traditions it is a warming root used for the joints, the gut and the skin.

The Lakadong region of Meghalaya has grown this particular variety by traditional cultivation for generations.

The research

What the research shows

Curcumin is one of the most studied plant compounds, with some of the strongest human evidence in joint pain and stiffness.

Research has also found benefits across inflammation, blood sugar, cholesterol, fatty liver markers and mood.

Most clinical trials use concentrated curcumin extracts rather than whole turmeric root, which is why strength and absorption matter. Taking turmeric with fat and usually with cayenne or black pepper helps the body absorb more curcumin. A 6 to 9% curcumin root gives you far more to begin with than standard 1 to 3% turmeric.

What you receive

Curcumin
6 to 9%
Variety
Lakadong
Weight
250 g
Origin
Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, India. Single origin
Processing
Organic. Dried and ground, nothing else added. No preservatives, no anti caking agents, no colour

Before you start

Avoid if you have gallstones or a blocked bile duct. Speak to your healthcare professional before use if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking blood thinners or diabetes medication, or preparing for surgery. Sold as a food, not a medicine.

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