Curcumin and Turmeric medical doctor formulated


Curcumin is one of the major antioxidants found in the spice
turmeric. The roots of the turmeric plant are used as an herb in Asian cooking such as curries. Curcumin
is a major component of Turmeric (Curcuma longa) and extensive
scientific research on curcumin and turmeric has demonstrated their potent antioxidant
properties. Through their antioxidant mechanisms, curcumin and turmeric support
colon health, exert neuroprotective activity and help maintain a healthy
cardiovascular system.
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Curcumin mechanism of action
The mechanism of action of curcumin is still being investigated, but curcumin
appears to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions.
Benefit of curcumin
Over the last few years, a number of studies
have provided evidence of its main pharmacological properties including wound
healing activities, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-fungal, immune influencing,
antioxidant and anti-inflammatory.
Alzheimer's Disease
Curcumin has compounds
that may be helpful in Alzheimer's disease. Curcumin
helps prevent the formation of
beta-amyloids which are neural fibrils in the brain that cause Alzheimer's.
Curcumin may increase the clearance of amyloid plaques in the brain. Amyloids are insoluble protein aggregates found in the brain tissue of patients with Alzheimer's disease. Amyloid accumulation in organs leads to amyloidosis. Dr. Milan Fiala, from the Greater Los Angeles Veteran's Affairs Medical Center, found in that immune cells called macrophages taken from patients with Alzheimer's disease cannot efficiently eliminate amyloid. Treating these cells with curcumin improves macrophage function.
Cancer
Curcumin may help fight cancer, including prostate cancer. Researchers have found in the lab that curcumin can
enhance the cancer-fighting power of treatment with TRAIL, a naturally occurring molecule
that helps kill cancer cells. TRAIL stands for tumor necrosis factor-related
apoptosis-inducing ligand. In an experiment with human prostate cancer cells in a
laboratory dish, the combination treatment killed off two to three times more cells than
either treatment alone.
Curcumin exerts multiple different suppressive
effects on human breast carcinoma cells in vitro.
In a test tube study, curcumin was found to
have anticancer effects on human Burkitt's lymphoma.
Curcumin and breast cancer
Curcumin appears to stop the spread of breast cancer tumor cells
to the lungs of mice. Tests have already started in people, too, says Bharat Aggarwal of the Department of Experimental Therapeutics at the
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, who led the
study. "What's exciting about this agent is that it seems to have both
chemopreventive and therapeutic properties. Earlier research showed that curcumin, an antioxidant, can help prevent
tumors from forming in the laboratory. For their study, Aggarwal and
colleagues injected mice with human breast cancer cells -- a batch of
cells grown from a patient whose cancer had spread to the lungs. The
resulting tumors were allowed to grow, and then surgically removed, to
simulate a mastectomy. Then the mice either got no
additional treatment; curcumin alone; the cancer drug paclitaxel (sold under the brand name Taxol); or curcumin plus Taxol.
Only half the mice in
the curcumin-only group and 22 percent of those in the curcumin plus
Taxol group had evidence of breast cancer that had spread to the lungs.
But 75 percent of animals that got Taxol alone and 95 percent of those
that got no treatment developed lung tumors. IN other words, the addition
of curcumin lowered the rate of cancer spread. Earlier studies suggest that
people who eat diets rich in turmeric have lower rates of breast cancer,
prostate cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer.
Inflammation
Curcumin blocks prostaglandin E2 biosynthesis through direct inhibition
of the microsomal prostaglandin E2 synthase-1.
Mol Cancer Ther. 2009 Aug;8(8): Koeberle A, Northoff H, Werz O.
Department of Pharmaceutical Analytics, Pharmaceutical Institute,
University of Tuebingen, D-72076 Tuebingen, Germany.
Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) plays a crucial role in the apparent link
between tumor growth and chronic inflammation. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2
and microsomal PGE(2) synthase-1, which are overexpressed in many
cancers, are functionally coupled and thus produce massive PGE(2) in
various tumors. Curcumin, a polyphenolic beta-diketone from tumeric with
anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory activities, was shown to
suppress PGE(2) formation and to block the expression of COX-2 and of
microsomal PGE(2) synthase-1. Here, we identified microsomal PGE(2)
synthase-1 as a molecular target of curcumin and we show that inhibition
of microsomal PGE(2) synthase-1 activity is the predominant mechanism of
curcumin to suppress PGE(2) biosynthesis. Curcumin reversibly inhibited
the conversion of PGH(2) to PGE(2) by microsomal PGE(2) synthase-1 in
microsomes of interleukin-1beta-stimulated A549 lung carcinoma cells.
Closely related polyphenols (e.g., resveratrol, coniferyl alcohol,
eugenol, rosmarinic acid) failed in this respect, and isolated ovine
COX-1 and human recombinant COX-2 were not inhibited by curcumin. Based
on the key function of PGE(2) in inflammation and carcinogenesis,
inhibition of microsomal PGE(2) synthase-1 by curcumin provides a
molecular basis for its anticarcinogenic and anti-inflammatory
activities.
Curcumin and pancreatic
cancer
Phase II Trial of Curcumin in Patients with Advanced Pancreatic
Cancer.
Clin Cancer Res. 2008 Jul 15. Dhillon N, Aggarwal BB, Newman RA,
Wolff RA, Kunnumakkara AB, Abbruzzese JL, Ng CS, Badmaev V, Kurzrock R.
Authors' Affiliations: Phase I Program, Department of Investigational
Cancer Therapeutics, Department of Experimental Therapeutics, Department
of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, Division of Cancer Medicine, and
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson
Cancer Center, Houston, Texas and Sabinsa Corporation, Piscataway, New
Jersey.
Pancreatic cancer is almost always lethal, and the only U.S. Food and Drug
Administration-approved therapies for it, gemcitabine and erlotinib,
produce objective responses in <10% of patients. Patients received 8 g
curcumin by mouth daily until disease progression, with restaging every 2
months. Serum cytokine levels for interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, IL-10, and
IL-1 receptor antagonists and peripheral blood mononuclear cell expression
of NF-kappaB and cyclooxygenase-2 were monitored. Circulating curcumin was
detectable as drug in glucuronide and sulfate conjugate forms, albeit at
low steady-state levels, suggesting poor oral bioavailability. Two
patients showed clinical biological activity. One had ongoing stable
disease for >18 months; interestingly, one additional patient had a brief,
but marked, tumor regression (73%) accompanied by significant increases
(4- to 35-fold) in serum cytokine levels (IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-1
receptor antagonists). No toxicities were observed. Curcumin
down-regulated expression of NF-kappaB, cyclooxygenase-2, and
phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 in
peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients (most of whom had
baseline levels considerably higher than those found in healthy
volunteers). Whereas there was considerable interpatient variation in
plasma curcumin levels, drug levels peaked at 22 to 41 ng/mL and remained
relatively constant over the first 4 weeks. Oral curcumin is well
tolerated and, despite its limited absorption, has biological activity in
some patients with pancreatic cancer.
Heart
In a rodent study, curcumin was
found to protect rat myocardium against ischemic insult and the protective
effect could be attributed to its antioxidant properties.
Multiple Sclerosis
Curcumin may block
the progression of multiple sclerosis.
Curcumin and Parkinson's
disease
Curcumin treatment alleviates the effects of glutathione depletion in
vitro and in vivo: therapeutic implications for Parkinson's disease
explained via in silico studies.
Free Radic Biol Med. 2008 Mar 1. Jagatha B, Mythri RB, Vali S,
Bharath MM. Department of Neurochemistry, National Institute of Mental
Health and Neurosciences, 2900 Hosur Road, Bangalore, Karnataka, India.
An important biochemical feature of presymptomatic
Parkinson's disease
is a significant depletion of the thiol
antioxidant glutathione in these neurons resulting in oxidative stress,
mitochondrial dysfunction, and ultimately cell death. We have earlier
demonstrated that curcumin, a natural polyphenol obtained from turmeric,
protects against peroxynitrite-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction both in
vitro and in vivo. Here we report that treatment of dopaminergic neuronal
cells and mice with curcumin restores depletion of glutathione levels,
protects against protein oxidation, and preserves mitochondrial complex I
activity which normally is impaired due to glutathione loss. Using systems
biology and dynamic modeling we have explained the mechanism of curcumin
action in a model of mitochondrial dysfunction linked to glutathione
metabolism that corroborates the major findings of our experimental work.
These data suggest that curcumin has potential therapeutic value for
neurodegenerative diseases involving glutathione depletion-mediated
oxidative stress.
Uveitis
Efficacy of curcumin in the
management of chronic anterior uveitis.
Phytother Res. 1999 Jun;13(4):318-22. Department of Ophthalmology, K.G.
Medical College, Lucknow, India.
Curcumin was administered orally to patients suffering from chronic
anterior uveitis at a dose of 375 mg three times a day for 12 weeks. One
group of 18 patients received curcumin alone, whereas the other group of
14 patients, who had a strong PPD reaction, in addition received
antitubercular treatment. The patients in both the groups started
improving after 2 weeks of treatment. All the patients who received
curcumin alone improved, whereas the group receiving antitubercular
therapy along with curcumin had a response rate of 86%. Follow up of all
the patients for the next 3 years indicated a recurrence rate of 55% in
the first group and of 36% in the second group. Four of 18 (22%) patients
in the first group and 3 of 14 patients (21%) in the second group lost
their vision in the follow up period due to various complications in the
eyes, e.g. vitritis, macular oedema, central venous block, cataract
formation, glaucomatous optic nerve damage etc. None of the patients
reported any side effect of the drug. The efficacy of curcumin and
recurrences following treatment are comparable to corticosteroid therapy
which is presently the only available standard treatment for this disease.
The lack of side effects with curcumin is its greatest advantage compared
with corticosteroids.
Curcumin is not toxic
Dose escalation of a
curcuminoid formulation.
BMC Complement Altern Med. 2006 Mar 17;6:10. Lao CD, Ruffin MT
4th, et al. Division of Hematology-Oncology, Department of Internal
Medicine, University of Michigan, 2150 CCGC, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0930, USA
A dose escalation study was conducted to determine the maximum tolerated
dose and safety of a single dose of standardized powder extract, uniformly
milled curcumin (C3 Complex, Sabinsa Corporation). Healthy volunteers were
administered escalating doses from 500 to 12,000 mg. Seven of twenty-four
subjects (30%) experienced only minimal toxicity that did not appear to be
dose-related. No curcumin was detected in the serum of subjects
administered 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000, 6,000 or 8,000 mg. Low levels of
curcumin were detected in two subjects administered 10,000 or 12,000 mg.
The tolerance of curcumin in high single oral doses appears to be
excellent. Given that achieving systemic bioavailability of curcumin or
its metabolites may not be essential for colorectal cancer
chemoprevention, these findings warrant further investigation for its
utility as a long-term chemopreventive agent.
Curcumin side effects
Q. I am a cancer patient and have been working very closely with my
naturopathic doctor. I wanted to let you know about curcumin side effects.
She had recommended curcumin (turmeric) capsules to help fight cancer. I
began taking one capsule daily in January 2008. By late April, I was
experiencing daily bouts of vomiting and diarrhea. I stopped all
supplements as I was too ill to take anything, and saw a medical doctor
who, after many tests, thought I had developed chronic irritable bowel
syndrome (IBS). After a week or so my symptoms went away and I began
taking my supplements again, but adding only one at a day for several
days, as my system still seemed "sensitive". When I added the curcumin, I
again became violently ill. Since then I have found I cannot even eat
foods with turmeric without experiencing gastrointestinal distress. I have
tested this reaction several times-taking only the curcumin capsule and
each time, became sicker than the last. Now, even regular yellow mustard
containing turmeric will bother me. My doctor(s) have determined that I
have developed an unusual, severe allergic reaction to turmeric and
instead of getting better, subsequent exposure seems to make me sicker
than the time before. I felt that you should be aware that, although
uncommon, curcumin side effect reactions are possible. Unfortunately I am
not able to take advantage of the possible cancer fighting benefits of
curcumin.
Curcumin
665 mg, 60 vegicaps
Curcumin
is the major component of Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) and extensive
scientific research on Curcumin has demonstrated its potent antioxidant
properties. Through its antioxidant mechanisms, Curcumin supports colon
health, exerts neuroprotective activity and helps maintain a healthy
cardiovascular system.
Curcumin Research study
Curcumin modulates free radical quenching
in myocardial ischaemia in rats.
Manikandan P. Central Leather Research Institute, Adyar, Chennai 600020, India.Int J Biochem Cell Biol. 2004 Oct;36(10):1977-90.
Inhibition of colonic aberrant crypt foci by curcumin
in rats is affected by age.
Kwon Y, Malik M, Magnuson BA.Nutr Cancer. 2004;48(1):37-43.
Curcumin supplement pill questions
Q. I'm currently taking 8 grams per day of curcumin with
Bioperine to deal with
a large breast cancer. The cancer seems larger and harder and it has been giving
me more discomfort. I have yet to find an actual human being that has used
curcumin to cure a breast cancer. It would be wonderful if I could read some
testimonials or even speak to someone that knows what happens during the healing
process. Do you have this information?
A. We are not aware of anyone who has cured or treated breast
cancer with curcumin, alone.
Q. Can you tell me about phenocane, a friend mentioned
it to me recently.
A. Phenocane appears to be the brand name used by several products
such as Phenocane by medpro Holland B.V., Phenocane by Oxylife, and Phenocane by
Golden Tones International. The main ingredient of Phenocane is curcumin. One
formula of Phenocane contains boswellia, nattokinase, and dl phenylalanine.
Q. I recently started taking curcumin and am wondering
if it can be given to dogs? I have an aging Jack Russell Terrier
that has a bad knee and sometimes limps. She weighs 13 pounds.
A. We don't have much experience with the use of curcumin
supplements in dogs or other animals, but it would seem that a third or half a
capsule a day should not cause a problem, but to make sure the vet should be
consulted.
Q. I am a private practice veterinarian performing a
research trial utilizing curcumin in horses for various inflammatory conditions.
It is my understanding, that based on prior research, that curcumin
bioavailability is compromised and in turn the absorption and therapeutic blood
levels are low. I also understand that various research trials are demonstrating
the concurrent use of piperine, which enhances the absorption and
bioavailability. I am curious if your research supports this as well and if
there is any further information that you might have to support this fact.
A. We have not seen convincing research that indicates piperine is
needed for curcumin absorption or bioavailability. Almost all studies with
curcumin have not used any piperine, therefore we tend to understand that
curcumin works well by itself.
Q. I am 76 years old and had for several years suffered from cold feet even in the summer. Several visits to different doctors and tests did not find the cause and treatment. So I searched the internet and found a product curcumin turmeric by Dr. Sahelian and that it raises body temperature. I have been taking the curcumin turmeric supplements for two months and have noticed quite an improvement after a couple of weeks while taking one capsule in the morning and one in the evening. When I skipped a dose, the cold feeling came back. I have been taking for the last tne years pills to control my blood pressure but recently noticed that while taking both the blood pressure and the curcumin turmeric, my blood pressure dropped below normal and I was having dizzy spells. I have stopped the last five days the blood pressure pills while continuing the curcumin turmeric and have been surprised to find out my blood pressure has stabilized at 120 over 80.
Q. I have a problem with bleeding, (colon, I think),
and I can't take anti-inflamatories, asprin, capsacin, etc. Probably because of
the thinning of my blood. I heard a little about Curamin, also read a little.
Supposed to be "no side effects". Would that include my situation? I am 77 years
young and have osteoartheridus.
A. A search on the internet reveals Curamin contains the following
ingredients: Curcumin, curcuminoids, dl phenylananine, Boswellia and Nattokinase.
We suggest you and your physician read about each ingredient in Curamin since
some of them do thin the blood.
Q. I was searching for any relationship between thyroid
function and curcumin, beneficial or adverse. Anyway, 1 small thing stood out -
in aged adults, curcumin was found to have a mildly adverse (hypothyroid) effect
on thyroid function. I'm wondering whether and to what extent curcumin exerts
any estrogenic / antiestrogenic activity.
A. Results of experiments in animals may not reflect what happens
in humans since the dosages given to animals during experiments is much higher
than those used by humans. We have not seen clinical studies in humans regarding
the influence of curcumin supplements on estrogen hormone levels or whether
curcumin itself has estrogenic activity. The influence of curcumin in lab
studies on isolated cells does not necessarily reflect the effects when ingested
as a supplement.
Q. I have heard that people who have gall bladder
trouble should not take the supplement, curcumin. Do you know anything about
this or can you direct me where to look?
A. We have seen no human research that precludes the use of
curcumin in those who have gallbladder problems.
What possible side effects if any are reported with
curcumin supplements? Can it be taken with IV Zithromax and Rocephin
Ceftriaxone?
We have not seen studies with this spice extract and the
medications you mention, so we don't know.
In reference to your Curcumin 500mg product, one could
assume that if a daily intake of 2000mg was recommended by their pharmacist --
then four tablets daily would achieve this. However it must be said that due to
this product being contained in Gelatine capsules and not enteric coating, the
potentcy of the curcumin would be considerably destroyed by acids in the
stomach. In other words four 500mg tablets may only achieve 50mg of absorbtion
in the body. Some manufacturers include Bioperine as an enhancer for increased
bioactivity.
At this point it is not known fully how much curcumin is
absorbed with or without Bioperine and with or without enteric coating. We have
no seen such comparative studies.
Interactions
There could be elevated body temperature if
tongkat ali herb is taken the same day as a curcumin turmeric capsule.