Sunday, June 6, 2021

Health Benefits of Turmeric

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This bright yellow spice is well-known as a component of curry powder.


Traditional Therapeutic Uses[3]


As a healing herb, tumeric has its roots deep in the medicinal traditions of India, China and several South-east Asian cultures.

Native to India and Indonesia, turmeric has been used in Indian Ayurvedic and Unani traditional medicine for at least 2,500 years, primarily to treat digestive and liver disorders, skin infections and irritations, and arthritis.

In China, turmeric was prescribed by traditional medical practitioners for abdominal pain, jaundice, and menstrual conditions.

Today turmeric is recommended by herbalists for indigestion and diarrhea, as well as inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis. Other uses include clearing up skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis, preventing cardiovascular diseases and cancer, and reducing blood cholesterol levels.

Health Benefits


Turmeric contains a high concentration of curcumin, a natural compound with powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. There is more scientific evidence for the positive health effects of turmeric than for any other spice.
  • Turmeric is a top anticancer spice that enhances the ability of the body's natural immune system to kill cancer cells[3,4,16]
    • With other spices (i.e., sage, oregano, thyme, rosemary, fennel[12], caraway, anise, coriander, cumin, and tarragon), turmeric has been identified by the National Cancer Institute as having cancer-preventive properties
    • Curcumin has been found to induce cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in a variety of cancer cell lines grown in culture[9]
    • Curcumin may protect against colon cancer
      • A combination of 480 mg of curcumin and 20 mg of quercetin taken orally 3 times a day reduced the number and size of tumors in patients by roughly 60% over a 6-month period[3]
    • Curcumin may be helpful in preventing inflammation associated with prostate and breast cancers, and in reducing their potential to metastasize.[23,24]
  • Studies show turmeric can lower artery-clogging LDL cholesterol
  • Turmeric increases bile production and release
    • It's a good gut food because bile help break down fats and aid digestion
    • Turmeric accelerates the detoxification process in the whole body by increasing bile production and release, which is one of the ways that the body eliminates toxins like heavy metals and other chemicals
  • It lessens excessive stomach acid production, so it can be used as a heartburn (reflux) remedy.
    • Howver, some people may find spices make reflux worse; others find they help digestion
  • It can relieve the inflammatory soreness of people with rheumatoid arthritis
    • Turmeric, green tea, garlic, ginger, oregano, and onions can help block cycloaxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme
    • Curcumin appears to relieve arthritis and may lower histamine levels that trigger asthma
    • Curcuminoids, the active substance, act by switching off a pro-inflammatory protein (called NF-TK) in the joints
  • Because of its neuroprotective properties, turmeric is dubbed the "smart spice" by Alzheimer's disease researchers
    • Curry-loving cultures, such as India, have the lowest rates of Alzheimer's disease
    • A 2001 study at UCLA showed that when fed curcumin, experimental animals genetically engineered to develop Alzheimer's disease had 43% fewer brain amyloid plaques, which is a waxy substance that blocks the highways of the brain when conditions like Alzheimer's disease are present
    • One study involving mice concluded that curcumin may help protect the brain from the oxidative damage that is thought to contribute to Alzheimer's[1]
    • Turmeric and cumin have been proven to help unclog amyloid plaques
    • Turmeric with other herbs (i.e., basil, black pepper, lemon rosemary, sage, and mint) are said to improve your brain speed
    • Mustard contains turmeric and can reduce Apo E4 levels
  • Turmeric is one of the herbs (i.e., Basil, Bay leaves, Chamomile, Hyssop, Juniper, Lavender, Rosemary, Thyme) that may help the skin.
  • Turmeric protects the liver
    • It contains curcumin, a bioflavonoid in the pigment that has been found to:
      • Protect liver and DNA
        • Fight inflammation
        • Scavenge free radicals
      • Help the liver clear toxic chemicals
      • Prevent fat deposits in the liver
  • Turmeric helps increase circulation (i.e., blood flow)
  • Turmeric can prevent Type 2 Diabetes by improving how insulin regulates blood sugar [2]
    • A study from Srinakharinwirot University has found that curcumin can help reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes and improve beta-cell function in adults with prediabetes
  • Turmeric can help fight Lupus (a systemic autoimmune disease)[20]
    • According to a randomized and double-blind placebo-controlled study, oral supplementation of turmeric decreases proteinuria, hematuria, and systolic blood pressure in patients suffering from relapsing or refractory, meaning untreatable—lupus nephritis.
  • Turmeric (in the form of curcumin supplementation) may offer an efficacious and safe option for improving COVID-19 disease outcomes[22]
Note that turmeric eaten alone is very poorly absorbed. That's why some curcumin supplements also contain piperine, for the purpose of increasing the bioavailability of curcumin[9,17,18]. Piperine is the alkaloid responsible for the pungency of black pepper and long pepper. So, you should consume turmeric with black pepper. It's said that the absorption of turmeric can be enhanced over a hundred times.

New Research[5,6]


On 06/12/2012, a patent was issued to the University of Rochester and two other entities for the use of compounds related to curcumin. The patent focuses on the potential of applying these compounds to fight prostate, bladder, liver, and other forms of cancer related to male hormones, as well as conditions like acne, baldness, enlarged prostate, and excessive growth of body hair.

The research behind this patent is led by Chawnshang Chang, Ph.D. Chang’s work at the University is also licensed to AndroScience Corp. of San Diego. Currently, several of their products are in different clinical stages. For example, their Androgen Receptor Degradation Enhancers (i.e. curcumin derivatives) display remarkable treatment potential in:
  • Acne (phase IIb)
  • Alopecia (phase I/II)
with preclinical stage proof of concept in Prostate Cancer, SBMA (Kennedy’s Disease), HBV induced HCC[7], Bladder Cancer, and Wound Healing.

Precautions[3]


Eating turmeric is safe. Scientists have shown that taking cucumin at doses of up to 12g per day was also very well tolerated, though there is little reason to take that much. Some people may get indigestion when taking high amounts of turmeric/curcumin. Also, turmeric is high in soluble oxalate, which can causes kidney stones at high concentration. So, for people prone to form kidney stones,[15] you should not consume more than one teaspoon of turmeric (i.e., not more than 40 to 50 mg) per day.[14]

Curcumin supplementation of 20-40 mg has been reported to increase gallbladder contractions in healthy people [10,11]. Although increasing gallbladder contractions could decrease the risk of gallstone formation by promoting gallbladder emptying, it could potentially increase the risk of symptoms in people who already have gallstones.

Finally, until the safety and efficacy of curcumin in individuals with cystic fibrosis has been evaluated in clinical trials, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation does not recommend the use of curcumin as a therapy for cystic fibrosis[9].


References

  1. Lim GP, Chu T, Yang F, Beech W, Frautschy SA, Cole GM. Related Articles The curry spice curcumin reduces oxidative damage and amyloid pathology in an Alzheimer transgenic mouse. J Neurosci. November 2001 21(21):8370-8377.
  2. Curcumin Extract for Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes
  3. National Geograpic Guide to Medicinal Herbs
  4. Is Curcumin the Spice of Life? A Look at Cancer Prevention Evidence (Webinar)
  5. Capability of Curry Component to Treat Disease Merits U.S. Patent
  6. AndroScience Corporation
  7. Androgen Receptor Promotes Hepatitis BVirus–Induced Hepatocarcinogenesis ThroughModulation of Hepatitis B Virus RNA Transcription
  8. Body Detoxification (Travel and Health)
  9. Curcumin — Linus Pauling Institute
  10. Rasyid A, Lelo A. The effect of curcumin and placebo on human gall-bladder function: an ultrasound study. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 1999;13(2):245-249.
  11. Rasyid A, Rahman AR, Jaalam K, Lelo A. Effect of different curcumin dosages on human gall bladder. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2002;11(4):314-318.
  12. Spice, fennel seed (Nutrition Facts)
  13. Spice, turmeric (Nutrition Facts)
  14. Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric? (Dr. Michael Greger)
  15. Risk Factors of Kidney Stones (Travel and Health)
  16. Anti-carcinogenic properties of curcumin on colorectal cancer (Good)
  17. How to Eat Turmeric Root
  18. Influence of piperine on the pharmacokinetics of curcumin in animals and human volunteers (PubMed.gov)
  19. Turmeric from which the so-called active ingredient (i.e., curcumin) has been removed may be even more effective
  20. Fighting Lupus with Turmeric: Good as Gold
  21. 7 Tips for Taking Turmeric (Infographic)
  22. Effectiveness of Curcumin on Outcomes of Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials
  23. Curcumin inhibits prostate cancer metastasis in vivo by targeting the inflammatory cytokines CXCL1 and -2
  24. Bachmeier B. et al.  2007 The chemopreventive polyphenol Curcumin prevents hematogenous breast cancer metastases in immunodeficient mice. Cell. Physiol. Biochem. 19 137 – 152

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