Turmeric Health Benefits Are Many

Turmeric
http://www.turmeric.co.in/turmeric_medicinal_use.htm




Out of the spice box, into the lab
Turmeric, an Indian staple, has long had medicinal uses. Now the West is taking notice.

The goddess of turmeric brings color in life
It is the ornament of married woman
And any woman who puts turmeric in her purse,
Her purse will never be empty

An old Indian folk song praises turmeric, the golden spice from the East, for its power to bring beauty, good health and good luck to those who use and carry it.

But in Indian medical lore, the pungent, woody-tasting powder is more precious still.

Modern medicine is starting to sit up and pay attention. Scientists are taking a closer look at this Asian wonder spice, teasing out active ingredients and testing its age-old cultural and medicinal uses in 21st century laboratories. The National Institutes of Health has funded at least eight studies investigating turmeric. The spice and a chemical it contains — curcumin — are being probed for their potential to prevent and treat a broad range of diseases: cancer, cystic fibrosis, Alzheimer's and arthritis.

The uses of turmeric, some described in ancient Indian medical texts, are indeed numerous. Indians put the spice on their Band-Aids as a disinfectant (Johnson & Johnson even makes turmeric Band-Aids for the Indian market) and sprinkle the powder on wounds to help them heal faster. People gargle with turmeric when they have laryngitis and rub it on the skin to cure cuts and psoriasis. They swallow it to treat bronchitis and chronic diseases such as diabetes.

Indian brides and grooms apply turmeric and milk to their skin before marriage, to look more beautiful.

And as anyone who has ever prepared a curry knows, turmeric is an essential cooking ingredient, used to flavor, color and preserve.

"You will find no house in India without turmeric. It is our daily spice, our daily life," said Vasant Lad, an Indian-trained practitioner who is chairman of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque.

Most of the studies so far have been on animals. But a growing number of mainstream researchers see turmeric and curcumin as possible aids in preventing and fighting disease in humans.

A powerful antioxidant...>

http://www.bri.ucla.edu/bri_weekly/news_060206.asp


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http://www.organicindiausa.com/product_info.php?products_id=30



Ayurvedic practitioners believe that it is a cleanser for all parts of the body. Thus, apart from using in cooking, turmeric is also used as a form of digestive aids, in treating infection, arthritis, jaundice and fever. A symbol of prosperity, the turmeric's healing property lies in its stalk. It is this same part that is usually used to color, preserve and flavor foods in everyday cooking. In Asian cooking, it is popularly used fresh while the dried, powdered form of the root is commonly used in other parts of the world.


Benefits of Turmeric

Turmeric reduces fats; aids blood circulation and purifies it.

Turmeric also helps digestion and is believed to help the body against parasites in the intestines.
It is now investigated for potential use as anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory aid.
It is antiseptic, warming and astringent. The Use

Bowel Cancer Patients
Where turmeric is frequently used, the chances of colon cancer are very much lower. At the moment, UK cancer specialists are testing oral turmeric capsules to be taken by colon cancer patients.

Arthritis Pain
Turmeric can also be used in reducing pain associated with arthritis. This is how you can do it at home. Warm a cup of milk. Before it boils, remove it from the heat and add in a teaspoon of turmeric powder in it. Stir and drink it for up to 3 times daily.

Digestive Problems
Studies among animals prescribed with it suggest that turmeric acts as digestive stimulant and encourages the release of digestive enzymes that breaks down carbohydrates and fats. Thus, if you always have stomach upset, turmeric tea may be a good idea.

Prostate Cancer
When combined with certain vegetables, this substance holds good potential in treating and preventing prostate cancer. Scientists in New Jersey have shown that turmeric alongside a particular substance found in vegetables like broccoli, kale, turnips and cabbage would ensure protection against this dreaded disease.

Heart Problems
A study done in 1992 has showed that turmeric may be able to reduce cholesterol level and fight atherosclerosis. Preliminary studies in mice have also shown its potential in blocking the development of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Smokers
A small clinical trial conducted in 1992 showed that 1.5 g of turmeric taken daily for a period of a month could decrease the amount of mutagens (substance that helps cancerous mutation in cells). In the study, even the urines of smokers were found to be lower in mutagens (when they were given daily ration of turmeric) compared to non-smoker subjects.



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Benefits of Turmeric for Women’s Health Issues

There are many health benefits of turmeric. These benefits also come from curcumin, which is an ingredient in turmeric. Turmeric is the spice from India that is used in curry dishes. Curcumin is the part of turmeric that gives curry food its golden color. This also provides turmeric with curcuminoids, which are believed to have health properties such as antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities. (Note: Turmeric is often mis-spelled as “tumeric.”)

Turmeric benefits have been known for centuries and have always been an important part of Chinese herbal medicine and also the Ayurvedic medicine of India. This natural food is believed to support liver health, help prevent bad cholesterol, and it is being studied for its ability to block tumors.

In laboratory studies at the University of Texas, preliminary research found turmeric to be useful in preventing and blocking the growth of cancer such as melanoma tumor cells, breast cancer, colon cancer and other cancers.

Some researchers believe there also appears to be some kind of association between reduced rates of leukemia and colon cancer, and populations of countries that consume a diet with higher amounts of curcumin from turmeric.

These findings are promising but are not proof of cures. Further studies are needed of course. But the preliminary research is exciting and promising for the relationship between turmeric and the possible help in prevention of various cancers.

Many other reputed health benefits of turmeric extract include a reputation for supporting healthy skin care, healthy cholesterol levels, liver and gallbladder health and possible joint pain relief through anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

The antioxidant power of turmeric is so effective that it actually helps preserve the shelf life of foods that it is added to....>

http://www.womens-health-questions.com/benefitsofturmeric.html


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http://www.bhopal.org/issues/archives/2006/10/chemical_found.html

Glucosamine, one pill of each, each morning, for 5 years with great effect (and I am a big time cynic about this stuff, being a PhD chemist who has great skepticism about all of the snake oil being peddled at GNC and the like). I have two torn ACLs (each knee), torn cartiledge in each knee, and was getting arthritis in my finger joints. Since going on the turmeric/boswellia regimen the improvement has been incredible - finger pain all gone and total flexibility returned, plus I can garden, bike, and take long walks with greatly reduced to no pain (the doctors look at my XRays and wonder how I can walk at all - one knee is bone on bone!).

I wonder if any of these products that combine those ingredients (rather than taking them separately) is as effective?

http://www.google.com/products?q=Turmeric+with+Boswellia&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=product_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title

We tend to go on what we can find on Internet herbal companies and go on price.

I'd appreciate knowing that because I am trying out different brands to see what might work best.

Costco. Boswellia and Turmeric we get at GNC or Whole Foods - whatever brand we can find (they are not always in stock). I think Sunray is one brand we use, and whatever the house GNC brand for many of their more esoteric herbs.

The testimonials sound a lot like what we're hearing here too:

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/home_remedies/turmeric_and_curcumin_for_arthritis.php

I put it on my food DAILY.

besides eating the occasional curry. :9

Hooray for anti-inflammatories!

Turmeric is also anti-fungal.

I have just finished reading "The Fungal Connection" by Doug Kaufmann, and many ailments have fungi as their source. It is something doctors don't address very much - they tend to concentrate on viruses and bacteria.

It really is a book worth reading.

Been taking several capsules daily for three years. I swear by tea tree oil as a topical antibiotic as well.

It apparently did the trick, but it's a bitch to get out of a white bedspread :(

the pain in my right thumb is gone! My PMS has improved as well, meaning NO cramps before my period starts. I have started my DH on it, I hope it will help his allergies. :-)

Spotlight On Turmeric
http://www.herbcompanion.com/print-article.aspx?id=8782

At the 90th annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, held in San Francisco June 15 to 18, 2008, research conducted at Columbia University Medical Center was presented which showed a protective effect for curcumin, a compound found in the spice turmeric, against the development of diabetes in two mouse models of diabetes and obesity. The research is scheduled for publication in the journal Endocrinology.

For their study, Drew Tortoriello, MD, who is an endocrinologist and researcher at Columbia’s Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center, in collaboration with Stuart Weisberg, MD, PhD, and Rudolph Leibel, MD, used male mice fed high fat diets to induce obesity and genetically obese female leptin-deficient mice. Normal, lean mice fed low fat diets were used as controls. The animals were divided to receive diets containing a high dose of a curcumin extract or no curcumin for five weeks.

Mice given high doses of curcumin showed less susceptibility to the development of diabetes, based on blood glucose levels, and glucose and insulin tolerance test results. The animals additionally experienced a small reduction in body fat and weight, even when calorie intake was the same or higher than mice that did not receive curcumin. Obese mice that received curcumin also had less inflammation in liver and fatty tissue compared with animals that did not receive the compound.

Inflammation is believed to play a role in the onset of diabetes type 2 as well as obesity. The researchers suggest that curcumin helps prevent diabetes by reducing the inflammation that occurs in obesity. By suppressing the number and activity of inflammatory cytokines produced by immune cells in fatty tissue, which can damage the heart and insulin-producing pancreatic islands as well as increase muscle and liver insulin resistance, curcumin may help reduce some of obesity’s adverse effects.

"It's too early to tell whether increasing dietary curcumin intake in obese people with diabetes will show a similar benefit," Dr. Tortoriello stated. "Although the daily intake of curcumin one might have to consume as a primary diabetes treatment is likely impractical, it is entirely possible that lower dosages of curcumin could nicely complement our traditional therapies as a natural and safe treatment."

Obesity
Recent advances in dietary science have highlighted the crucial role of insulin in weight gain. Produced in the pancreas, insulin is a critical hormone for the control of blood sugar (glucose). Its job is to transport glucose into cells, where the glucose is burned as fuel...cont'd

http://keithconnectsthedots.com/2008/06/27/curcumin-tumeric-may-offer-protection-against-diabetes.aspx

Fellow Duer HollyHobby shared, in another forum, that she used turmeric instead of traditional treatment to prevent the spread of tumors in her collie (who was given a very short time to live).
She gave the dog turmeric everyday and he lived another SIX years, to the ripe old age of 13.

Might also be a good preventative for pets. Anyway, Holly also shared this great site that
has articles about humans, cats, dogs, and the studies/use of turmeric:

http://www.turmeric-curcumin.com/


Felines, Turmeric and Heart Disease:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/Page/document/v5/content/subscribe?user_URL=http://www.theglobeandmail.com%2Fservlet%2Fstory%2FRTGAM.20080222.wldoses22%2FBNStory%2FspecialScienceandHealth%2Fhome&ord=154166317&brand=theglobeandmail&force_login=true


And I found this site:
http://www.petspourri.com/herbs09.htm

Oh, sure, Big Spice doesn't have the power it used to have back in the days of the East India Trading Company, but they're still evil profiteers built on human suffering and fostering an uncontrollable addiction to tastiness. :evilgrin:

Baron Harkonnen: I will have Arrakis back for myself! He who controls the Spice controls the universe and what Piter did not tell you is we have control of someone who is very close, very close, to Duke Leto! This person, this traitor, will be worth more to us than ten legions of Sardaukar!

:evilgrin:

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

In the study, Ayyalusamy Ramamoorthy and colleagues point out that turmeric has been used for centuries in folk medicine to treat wounds, infections, and other health problems. Although modern scientific research on the spice has burgeoned in recent years, scientists until now did not know exactly how curcumin works inside the body.

Using a high-tech instrument termed solid-state NMR spectroscopy, the scientists discovered that molecules of curcumin act like a biochemical disciplinarian. They insert themselves into cell membranes and make the membranes more stable and orderly in a way that increases cells' resistance to infection by disease-causing microbes.

More information: "Determining the Effects of Lipophillic Drugs on Membrane Structure by Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy -- the Case of the Antioxidant Curcumin," Journal of the American Chemical Society.

http://www.physorg.com/news159438178.html

"Indian brides and grooms apply turmeric and milk to their skin before marriage, to look more beautiful."

Is that turmeric, or is that a bad spray-tan? :)

Eating curry containing turmeric once or twice a week could prevent Alzheimer's disease and may researchers are investigating if it can be used as a treatment in those who already have it.

Cont'd

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/5436618/Curry-may-prevent-Alzheimers-disease-expert-says.html


Ha! I was going to post this separately but see someone already posted this story. So I'm just
adding it to this thread on the benefits of eating/taking turmeric. I've read it's best to take
it with some form of fat - I usually take a supplement with some milk (goat milk actually) and include it in many of my meals including my morning eggs. Love it!

:kick:

Powerful Antiviral Herb

It was recently discovered that the deadly 1918 Spanish flu, which swept the globe and killed an estimated 50 to 100 million people, was actually a bird-flu strain. The current avian virus clearly poses a serious global health threat, but the bird flu is far from incurable.

Natural medicines have demonstrated efficacy against this virus. A team of researchers at the Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, DC, found that wild oregano oil destroyed the coronavirus, which causes the common cold and SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), at a concentration of 0.01 percent in 20 minutes. The researchers also demonstrated that the oil was effective against the influenza A virus and, with in vitro tests, against the avian bird flu.

Wild oregano oil is also being studied for its ability to kill the avian virus. Used wisely and sparingly, it is safe with no known negative interactions. Oregano is a completely edible natural food. Its potency is due to the high natural content of molecular oxygen, a potent germicide.

Germ Fighters

In addition to wild oregano, the herbs cumin, sage, and cinnamon are also documented germicides. Cumin and sage may boost glutathione levels, the master antioxidant produced by the liver, by up to 700 percent. These spices protect the body from germ invasion. The combination of oregano, cumin, and sage was recently tested and found highly effective in killing a wide range of viruses.

It is also essential to boost the immune system with a nonsynthetic, natural-source vitamin C supplement, as well as with black seed, also known as black cumin (Nigella sativa).

Cont'd
http://www.alive.com/4279a12a2.php?subject_bread_cramb=528

To name just a FEW! -


One of the most comprehensive summaries of turmeric studies to date was published by the respected ethnobotanist James A. Duke, Phd., in the October, 2007 issue of Alternative & Complementary Therapies, and summarized in theJuly, 2008, issue of the American Botanical Council publication HerbClip.

Reviewing some 700 studies, Duke concluded that turmeric appears to outperform many pharmaceuticals in its effects against several chronic, debilitating diseases, and does so with virtually no adverse side effects. Here are some of the diseases that turmeric has been found to help prevent or alleviate:

Alzheimer's disease: Duke found more than 50 studies on turmeric's effects in addressing Alzheimer's disease. The reports indicate that extracts of turmeric contain a number of natural agents that block the formation of beta-amyloid, the substance responsible for the plaques that slowly obstruct cerebral function in Alzheimer's disease.

Arthritis: Turmeric contains more than two dozen anti-inflammatory compounds, including sixdifferent COX-2-inhibitors (the COX-2 enzyme promotes pain, swelling and inflammation; inhibitors selectively block that enzyme). By itself, writes Duke, curcumin - the component in turmeric most often cited for its healthful effects - is a multifaceted anti-inflammatory agent, and studies of the efficacy of curcumin have demonstrated positive changes in arthritic symptoms.

Cancer: Duke found more than 200 citations for turmeric and cancer and more than 700 for curcumin and cancer. He noted that in the handbook Phytochemicals: Mechanisms of Action, curcumin and/or turmeric were effective in animal models in prevention and/or treatment of colon cancer, mammary cancer, prostate cancer, murine hepatocarcinogenesis (liver cancer in rats), esophageal cancer, and oral cancer. Duke said that the effectiveness of the herb against these cancers compared favorably with that reported for pharmaceuticals.

Cont'd
http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART03001/Three-Reasons-to-Eat-Turmeric.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8328377.stm

The DU thread on this article:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x6877457

It can interact with coumadin, leading to a greater chance of increased bleeding/decreased blood clotting. If you are on coumadin after a surgery like joint replacement, or some other health condition, please beware, and check with your health care provider.

As with pharmaceuticals, more natural medicines and treatments can also have interactions.

They are fucking clueless.

Thanks, uppity.

it's just some interesting and valuable information. If you don't like it, don't use it :hi:

" maybe the warning shouldn't be for the common spice, but for the prescription drug"

No, it should be for EVERYTHING that is given, whether prescribed, otc, natural, WHATEVER.

No clinical trials, no proof of efficacy and no warning labels.

It's magic candy!!1!

since the problem lies with the factory med. Theirs is all natural so what problem could that be? And what is the difference between 1/8 tspn in a meal for the family and 1/8 teaspoon in a cup of tea? Or another cup? or another?

You don't expect them to actually go to school and get a degree, do you? I mean, if they did that they'd have to take responsibility for the harm they do.

They're quacks who want all of the credit without doing any of the work.

If it wasn't so dangerous it would be amusing to see how many adults still like to play "doctor".

(NaturalNews) The yellowish orange Indian spice turmeric, used to flavor curries, contains a remarkable phytochemical known as curcumin -- and this natural substance is the target of feverish research across a spectrum of medical disciplines. The reason? Curcumin has shown remarkable promise in helping the human body in a wide variety of ways. For example, as NaturalNews has previously reported, it may prevent Alzheimer's Disease (http://www.naturalnews.com/026861_c...) and type 2 diabetes (http://www.naturalnews.com/024644.html) as well as fight breast and colorectal malignancies (http://www.naturalnews.com/020527_c...). Now research just released at the 2009 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) annual meeting in San Diego shows curcumin may block nicotine-induced head and neck cancers, even in people who smoke.

According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the majority of head and neck cancers start in cells that line the mucosal surfaces such as the mouth, nose, and throat. Normal mucosal cells viewed through a microscope look like scales (squamous), so head and neck cancers of this type are labeled head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). However, some head and neck cancers begin in other types of cells; adenocarcinomas, for example, originate in glandular cells. In all, the NCI web site states, head and neck cancers account for three to five percent of cancers in the US, with about 40,000 new cases diagnosed each year. The vast majority, approximately 85 percent of these cancers, are linked to tobacco use...cont'd

http://www.naturalnews.com/027346_cancer_curcumin_cancers.html

The article doesn't say.

But seriously, think about it. If it was JUST in the Bhopal region, do you think the fracking Indian Council of Medical Research would be smart enough to make the connection? Or do you think you're the only one who could have possibly thought of that?

You're right, turmeric causes cancer.

Thanks for playing.

:)

Okey dokey. :hi:

A sad irony that the Western world is reaping such benefits from adopting many of India's health and dietary traditions while they inherit the diseases that come with Western-style development. Initially it was because India had the lowest rates of cancer in the world that developed nations were drawn to a study of their diets and use of Turmeric. A testament to how quickly a population can be affected by these types of changes.

India's relatively recent development (both agricultural and industrial) has much to do with the increase in cancers there, as well as increasing tobacco use. There has been heavy and unregulated use of pesticides in the farm areas, various industrial pollutants in the cities and lifestyle changes that have affected their traditional diets, and so forth. Life out of balance....

Here's a a story from NPR
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103569390

or prevent, so dietary turmeric is not going to do you much good, even in daily curries.

Curcurmin is showing some promise at the test tube stage and in a few animal trials. It's nowhere near being proven in human trials as an active ingredient, although some quacks claim to have it and offer miracle cures with it.

Many of our important drugs were first synthesized from plants. If we are very lucky, turmeric will provide one or more to cure disease and ease pain.

We're just not there yet.

lifestyle, genetics and so on.

Traditionally India has had very low rates of cancer, but as it 'develops' and diet and lifestyle are altered, they are becoming less and less immune to diseases of all kinds. But initially it was the low rates of cancer that first led to studies of India's diet and their use of turmeric. It's very exciting to see its suppression of tumor growth, joint issues and such a broad spectrum of benefits from this herb.

Despite the promising studies, clinical trials, etc., for me, based on my own positive anecdotal experiences with it, I would highly recommend that it be part of the daily regimen whether in food or supplement form.

and the other 5% is the stuff you listed.

The placebo effect is great for those people who are susceptible to it. However, no one is 100% of the time, and some people will never experience it.

For those who don't experience the placebo effect, the research on curcurmin might produce benefits down the line.

Efficacy and mechanism of action of turmeric supplements in the treatment of experimental arthritis
Janet L. Funk *, Jennifer B. Frye, Janice N. Oyarzo, Nesrin Kuscuoglu, Jonathan Wilson, Gwen McCaffrey, Gregory Stafford, Guanjie Chen, R. Clark Lantz, Shivanand D. Jolad, Aniko M. Sólyom, Pawel R. Kiela, Barbara N. Timmermann
University of Arizona, Tucson

email: Janet L. Funk (jfunk@u.arizona.edu)

*Correspondence to Janet L. Funk, Arizona Health Sciences Center, Box 24-5021, Tucson, AZ 85724

The contents of this article are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS), the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) or the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Funded by:
NIH (NCCAM and ODS); Grant Number: 5-P50-AT-000474
NIDDK; Grant Number: 5-R01-DK-067286


Abstract

Objective
Scientific evidence is lacking for the antiarthritic efficacy of turmeric dietary supplements that are being promoted for arthritis treatment. Therefore, we undertook studies to determine the antiarthritic efficacy and mechanism of action of a well-characterized turmeric extract using an animal model of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods
The composition of commercial turmeric dietary supplements was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. A curcuminoid-containing turmeric extract similar in composition to these supplements was isolated and administered intraperitoneally to female Lewis rats prior to or after the onset of streptococcal cell wall-induced arthritis. Efficacy in preventing joint swelling and destruction was determined clinically, histologically, and by measurement of bone mineral density. Mechanism of action was elucidated by analysis of turmeric's effect on articular transcription factor activation, microarray analysis of articular gene expression, and verification of the physiologic effects of alterations in gene expression.

Results
A turmeric fraction depleted of essential oils profoundly inhibited joint inflammation and periarticular joint destruction in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo treatment prevented local activation of NF-B and the subsequent expression of NF-B-regulated genes mediating joint inflammation and destruction, including chemokines, cyclooxygenase 2, and RANKL. Consistent with these findings, inflammatory cell influx, joint levels of prostaglandin E2, and periarticular osteoclast formation were inhibited by turmeric extract treatment.

Conclusion
These translational studies demonstrate in vivo efficacy and identify a mechanism of action for a well-characterized turmeric extract that supports further clinical evaluation of turmeric dietary supplements