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Turmeric - the miracle spice from India.
Recent Research bears out that Turmeric may not only slow
down the process of Alzheimer's and may even prevent the disease
when used regularly as a dietary supplement.
The Wonders of Turmeric
Turmeric is one of the most widely used herbs in Ayurvedic
medicine and has a long history of dietary and herbal medicinal
use. It is reputed as a body cleanser due to its powerful
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action. Modern science is
discovering a growing list of diseased conditions which turmeric
is able to improve or heal.
In Asian countries turmeric is used as a common spice for
everyday cooking for good reason. It has been determined that
one of turmeric’s main constituents, curcumin, protects
the stomach against tainted food. According to a University
of Chicago study by researchers, curcumin inhibits a cancer-provoking
bacteria (H. pylor) associated with gastric colon cancer (Magad
GB,Anticancer Res. 2002 Nov-Dec;22(6C):4179-81
Heliobacter pylori is believed to infect about 40 to 50 %
of the world’s population. It is contracted through
contaminated food or water and can be transmitted from person
to person by intimate contact such as kissing by exchange
of saliva. These bacteria survive in the stomach’s acid
by exuding urease, an enzyme that produces ammonia, which
neutralizes the acid. The bacteria are able to bore through
the gastric and duodenal mucus membrane attaching themselves
to underlying epithelial cells. They cause gastritis (an inflammation
of the mucus membrane) and contribute to ulcer formation by
thinning the mucus membrane and infecting nearby cells with
their toxins. H. pylori infection is considered to be the
cause of gastritis, peptic ulcer, and a major contributing
factor to gastric colon cancer.
Turmeric alone (or associated with gum Mastic, Pistacia lenticus
L.for herbal synergy) acts to eliminate H. pylori.
Modern western researchers have found that turmeric is:
- An Antioxidant
- Has Anti-inflammatory qualities
- Produces Anti-cancer activity
- It is Antimicrobial
- Has Anti HIV properties
- May slow down the development of Alzheimer’s
Cancer
Research has shown that Turmeric has anticancer effects in
all stages of the disease’s development. Turmeric can
inhibit the development of cancer and promote cancer regression.
The spice acts in two ways: it has its own antioxidant and
free radical-scavenging effects and enhances the body’s
natural antioxidant system."USA Weekend" reports:
http://www.usaweekend.com/02_issues, November10,2002:
"The yellow spice turmeric, a constituent of curry powder,
contains high concentrations of the potent antioxidant curcumin.
New tests suggest curcumin helps stifle cancer. In test tubes,
80% of malignant prostate cells self-destructed when exposed
to curcumin. Feeding mice curcumin dramatically slowed the
growth of implanted human prostate cancer cells. It may do
the same in breast and colon cancer cells, researchers say,
speculating that curcumin blocks the activation of genes that
trigger cancer." In their latest of a series of reports
the M. D. Anderson say: "Curcumin can suppress tumor
initiation, promotion and metastasis. Pharmacologically, curcumin
has been found to be safe. Human clinical trials indicated
no dose-limiting toxicity when administered at doses up to
10 g/day. All of these studies suggest that curcumin has enormous
potential in the prevention and therapy of cancer." [Aggarwal,
BB et al, Anticancer Res. 2003 Jan-Feb;23(1A):363-98] (However,
if you are taking medications or undergoing radiotherapy or
chemotherapy to treat cancer, be extremely cautious about
possible interactions and effects of turmeric/curcumin on
your liver and other organs. Talk to your oncologist and oncology
nurse. A recent study, available free online, finds that curcumin
inhibits desired effects of chemotherapy for breast cancer:
(Cancer Research 62, 3868-3875, July 1, 2002) Antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties of turmeric
and curcumin are undergoing intense research. Tests in Germany,
reported July 2003, found that "All fractions of the
turmeric extract preparation exhibited pronounced antioxidant
activity...." Turmeric extract tested more potent than
garlic, devil’s claw, and salmon oil [ J Pharm Pharmacol.
2003 Jul;55(7):981-6].On October 15, 2002, a similar report
was released by Oxford University in the UK. In other news,
Dr. Hideki Hidaka from Kumamoto University in Japan reported
the discovery of a compound in curcumin that may suppress
production of a protein (interleukin-8) that spurs tumor growth
in the body. This protein attracts white blood cells to a
particular site, leading to inflammation. Additional research
will be needed to determine what role this protein and similar
ones play in promoting tumor growth and suppressing the immune
system.
Anti-inflammation
Turmeric, its main constituent curcumin, and its volatile
oil all possess anti-inflammatory properties. In general,
Turmeric is comparable to cortisone as an anti-inflammatory.
Its advantage is that is has virtually no toxicity. For this
purpose it can be used topically and internally. Traditionally
it has been used externally by mixing Turmeric with slake
lime (Calcium hydroxide) which produces Sodium curcuminate.
This is a household remedy for sprains, muscular pain, and
inflamed joints. Taken internally in capsules or mixed with
food or drink, it is very effective for all inflammations.
Cardiovascular effects
The effects of Turmeric on the cardiovascular system include
lowering of cholesterol levels and Inhibition of platelet
aggregation. This helps prevent atherosclerosis and its complications.
Liver
Turmeric exhibits liver protection properties because of
its potent antioxidant properties. It is traditionally used
for liver disorders. It may be used with organic licorice
extract to form a powerful synergy for liver protection and
rejuvenation.
Alzheimer’s
In India, only 1% of those aged 65 and older contracting
this degenerative brain condition. Many scientific reports
point towards the lavish use of Turmeric in various preparations,
such as curries or especially kitchari, which is the staple
diet for millions in the Indian subcontinent.
Curcumin’s anti-inflammatory activity indeed reduces
arthritic swelling and progressive brain damage in animals.
In UCLA research, eating food laced with low doses of curcumin
slashed Alzheimer’s-like plaque in the brains of mice
by 50%.
In the scientific study of Frautschy it is said that curcumin
found in curry has "a long history of dietary and herbal
medicinal use" and is also a powerful antioxidant and
anti-inflammatory agent.
In her study, Frautschy fed middle-aged (9 months old) and
aged (22 months old) rats diets rich in curcumin. All of the
rats had received brain injections of amyloid to mimic progressive
Alzheimer’s disease. "Curcumin reduced the accumulation
of beta-amyloid and the associated loss of proteins"
in the synapses, or gaps, between individual brain cells,
Frautschy reported. "Synapses connect nerve cells and
are crucial for memory," the California researcher explained.
Keeping synapses free of plaque is important because "their
loss correlates well with memory decline in Alzheimer’s."
This type of memory preservation may have been reflected in
the fact that rats fed curcumin also performed much better
in memory-dependent maze tests compared with rats on normal
diets, according to Frautschy.
Curcumin also appeared to reduce Alzheimer’s-related
inflammation in neurologic tissue. Because "a combined
anti-inflammatory and antioxidant approach will be useful
for Alzheimer’s prevention or treatment," Frautschy
speculates that curcumin could be especially valuable in the
fight against the disease, especially in combination with
anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen. Her team is hopeful
they will soon receive funding for clinical trials to investigate
curcumin-ibuprofen combination therapy. Curcumin may not be
the only compound in the kitchen spice rack able to ward off
Alzheimer’s. In an interview with Reuters Health, Frautschy
said that "chemicals from rosemary (rosmarinic acid)
and ginger (vanillin and zingerone, also high in Indian diets)
have similar structure and should be tested." Curcumin
also appeared to reduce Alzheimer’s-related inflammation
in neurologic tissue. Because "a combined anti-inflammatory
and antioxidant approach will be useful for Alzheimer’s
prevention or treatment," Frautschy speculates that curcumin
could be especially valuable in the fight against the disease,
especially in combination with anti-inflammatory drugs like
ibuprofen.
Her team is hopeful they will soon receive funding for clinical
trials to investigate curcumin-ibuprofen combination therapy.
Curcumin may not be the only compound in the kitchen spice
rack able to ward off Alzheimer’s. In an interview with
Reuters Health, Frautschy said that "chemicals from rosemary
(rosmarinic acid) and ginger (vanillin and zingerone, also
high in Indian diets) have similar structure and should be
tested."
Arthritis
A study was conducted among patients with rheumatoid arthritis
to compare turmeric (1200 milligrams per day) to phenylbutazone
(300 milligrams a day). The results showed that the improvements
in the duration of morning stiffness, walking time, and joint
swelling were comparable in both groups. Turmeric has a great
advantage because it does not produce any adverse side effects,
whereas phenylbutazone has significant ones.
Anti-aging
Aging effects are compared by some researchers to "caramelization"
or more scientifically named, "glycation." It occurs
when sugar and protein bind together under the body’s
own heat and gum up vital organs. There are some researchers
who believe that cooked foods that are browned and caramelized
– such as baked goods, glazed meats and roasted coffee
– may also contribute to the effect.
Glycation occurs at a faster rate in the body when blood sugar
levels are elevated, as in diabetes. Further, avoiding foods
rich in glycotoxins, such as foods cooked at high temperatures
for long periods of time, may prove beneficial to people with
vascular and kidney disease, high blood pressure and to the
elderly.
Turmeric appears to cut down on the cross linking of tissue
and glycose. Therefore, regularly including turmeric in our
diet or as a supplement may help slow the process of aging
and promote youthfulness.
Potent Spice Works To Block Growth Of Melanoma
Curcumin, the pungent yellow spice found in both turmeric
and curry powders, blocks a key biological pathway needed
for development of melanoma and other cancers, say researchers
from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
The study, to be published in the August 15, 2005 issue of
the journal Cancer, but available on line at 12:01 a.m. (EDT)
on Monday, July 11, demonstrates how curcumin stops laboratory
strains of melanoma from proliferating and pushes the cancer
cells to commit suicide.
It does this, researchers say, by shutting down nuclear factor-kappa
B (NF-kB), a powerful protein known to promote an abnormal
inflammatory response that leads to a variety of disorders,
including arthritis and cancer.
The study is the latest to suggest that curcumin has potent
anticancer powers, say the researchers.
"The antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic
properties of curcumin derived from turmeric are undergoing
intense research here and at other places worldwide,"
says one of the study’s authors, Bharat B. Aggarwal,
Ph.D., professor of cancer medicine in the Department of Experimental
Therapeutics.
At M. D. Anderson, for example, dramatic results from laboratory
studies have led to two ongoing Phase I human clinical trials,
testing the ability of daily capsules of curcumin powder to
retard growth of pancreatic cancer and multiple myeloma. Another
Phase I trial is planned for patients with breast cancer,
and given this news of curcumin’s activity in melanoma,
animal studies will soon begin, Aggarwal says. Ground from
the root of the Curcuma longa plant, curcumin is a member
of the ginger family. It has long been utilized in India and
other Asian nations for multiple uses: as a food-preservative,
a coloring agent, a folk medicine to cleanse the body, and
as a spice to flavor food (two to five percent of turmeric
is curcumin, for example).
While researchers had thought curcumin primarily has anti-inflammatory
properties, the growing realization that cancer can result
from inflammation has spurred mounting interest in the spice
as an anti-cancer agent, Aggarwal says. He adds that another
fact has generated further excitement: "The incidence
of the top four cancers in the U.S. - colon, breast, prostate,
and lung - is ten times lower in India," he says.
This work is just the latest by M. D. Anderson researchers
to show how curcumin can inhibit cancer growth. "Curcumin
affects virtually every tumor biomarker that we have tried,"
says Aggarwal. "It works through a variety of mechanisms
related to cancer development. We, and others, previously
found that curcumin down regulates EGFR activity that mediates
tumor cell proliferation, and VEGF that is involved in angiogenesis.
Besides inhibiting NF-kB, curcumin was also found to suppress
STAT3 pathway that is also involved in tumorigenesis. Both
these pathways play a central role in cell survival and proliferation."
He said that an ability to suppress numerous biological routes
to cancer development is important if an agent is to be effective.
"Cells look at everything in a global way, and inhibiting
just one pathway will not be effective," says Aggarwal.
In this study, the researchers treated three different melanoma
cell lines with curcumin and assessed the activity of NF-kB,
as well the protein, known as "IKK" that switches
NF-kB "on." The spice kept both proteins from being
activated, so worked to stop growth of the melanoma, and it
also induced "apoptosis," or programmed death, in
the cells.
Surprisingly, it didn’t matter how much curcumin was
used, says the researchers. "The NF-kB machinery is suppressed
by both short exposures to high concentrations of curcumin
as well as by longer exposure to lower concentrations of curcumin,"
they say in their study. Given that other studies have shown
curcumin is non-toxic, these results should be followed by
a test of the spice in both animal models of melanoma and
in human trials, they say.
BBC News: Curry ‘may slow Alzheimer’s’
(Wednesday, 21 November, 2001, 16:33 GMT)
A spicy ingredient of many curries may be an effective treatment
for Alzheimer’s disease, say researchers.
A team from the University of California at Los Angeles believes
that turmeric may play a role in slowing down the progression
of the neurodegenerative disease.
The finding may help to explain why rates of Alzheimer’s
are much lower among the elderly in India than in their Western
peers.
Previous studies have found that Alzheimer’s affects
just 1% of people over the age of 65 living in some Indian
villages. Drugs with similar properties could potentially
be used as preventative treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
Turmeric is found in everything from mild Kormas to the hottest
Vindaloos. The crucial chemical is curcumin, a compound found
in the spice.
Alzheimer’s is linked to the build up of knots in the
brain called amyloid plaques.
Turmeric reduced the number of these plaques by a half.
The researchers also found that turmeric had other health
benefits.
It aids digestion, helps fight infection and guards against
heart attacks.
In the study, middle aged and aged rats were fed a diet rich
in curcumin.
All the rats received brain injections of amyloid to mimic
progressive Alzheimer’s disease.
Not only was there less evidence of plaque build up in the
curcumin-fed rats, they also outperformed rats on normal diets
when carrying out maze-based memory tests.
Curcumin also appeared to reduce Alzheimer’s-related
inflammation in the brain tissue.
Researcher Dr Sally Frautschy said the compound had potential
as a treatment for the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease
- particularly in tandem with anti-inflammatory drugs such
as ibuprofen.
Dr Richard Harvey, director of research at the Alzheimer’s
Society, said:
"Curcumin has both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory
properties. "Drugs with similar properties could potentially
be used as preventative treatments for Alzheimer’s disease."
A team from the University of California at Los Angeles believes
that turmeric may play a role in slowing down the progression
of the neurodegenerative disease.
The finding may help to explain why rates of Alzheimer's are
much lower among the elderly in India than in their Western
peers.
Previous studies have found that Alzheimer's affects just
1% of people over the age of 65 living in some Indian villages.
Vindaloos
Drugs with similar properties could potentially be used as
preventative treatments for Alzheimer's disease
Dr Richard Harvey
Turmeric is found in everything from mild Kormas to the hottest
Vindaloos. The crucial chemical is curcumin, a compound found
in the spice.
Alzheimer's is linked to the build up of knots in the brain
called amyloid plaques.
Turmeric reduced the number of these plaques by a half.
The researchers also found that turmeric had other health
benefits.
It aids digestion, helps fight infection and guards against
heart attacks.
In the study, middle aged and aged rats were fed a diet rich
in curcumin.
All the rats received brain injections of amyloid to mimic
progressive Alzheimer's disease.
Not only was there less evidence of plaque build up in the
curcumin-fed rats, they also outperformed rats on normal diets
when carrying out maze-based memory tests.
Curcumin also appeared to reduce Alzheimer's-related inflammation
in the brain tissue.
Researcher Dr Sally Frautschy said the compound had potential
as a treatment for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease -
particularly in tandem with anti-inflammatory drugs such as
ibuprofen.
Dr Richard Harvey, director of research at the Alzheimer's
Society, said: "Curcumin has both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory
properties.
"Drugs with similar properties could potentially be used
as preventative treatments for Alzheimer's disease."
However, Dr Harvey warned that it could be many years before
such drugs were made widely available.
A spicy ingredient of many curries may be an effective treatment
for Alzheimer's disease, say researchers.
A team from the University of California at Los Angeles believes
that turmeric may play a role in slowing down the progression
of the neurodegenerative disease.
The finding may help to explain why rates of Alzheimer's are
much lower among the elderly in India than in their Western
peers.
Previous studies have found that Alzheimer's affects just
1% of people over the age of 65 living in some Indian villages.
Vindaloos
Drugs with similar properties could potentially be used as
preventative treatments for Alzheimer's disease
Dr Richard Harvey
Turmeric is found in everything from mild Kormas to the hottest
Vindaloos. The crucial chemical is curcumin, a compound found
in the spice.
Alzheimer's is linked to the build up of knots in the brain
called amyloid plaques.
Turmeric reduced the number of these plaques by a half.
The researchers also found that turmeric had other health
benefits.
It aids digestion, helps fight infection and guards against
heart attacks.
In the study, middle aged and aged rats were fed a diet rich
in curcumin.
All the rats received brain injections of amyloid to mimic
progressive Alzheimer's disease.
Not only was there less evidence of plaque build up in the
curcumin-fed rats, they also outperformed rats on normal diets
when carrying out maze-based memory tests.
Curcumin also appeared to reduce Alzheimer's-related inflammation
in the brain tissue.
Researcher Dr Sally Frautschy said the compound had potential
as a treatment for the prevention of Alzheimer's disease -
particularly in tandem with anti-inflammatory drugs such as
ibuprofen.
Dr Richard Harvey, director of research at the Alzheimer's
Society, said: "Curcumin has both anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory
properties.
"Drugs with similar properties could potentially be used
as preventative treatments for Alzheimer's disease."
However, Dr Harvey warned that it could be many years before
such drugs were made widely available.
Memory Loss
Recent trials involving 200 participants over the age of
75 on a daily regimen of Turmeric produced very promising
results.
Every one of the participants showed a marked improvement
in Memory retention.
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