Curcumin is the main constituent of the herb turmeric and appears to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. You might take curcumin to treat indigestion, arthritis and a variety of other health problems. Consult your doctor before taking turmeric or curcumin remedies to discuss the potential side effects, drug interactions and proper dosage.
History
Turmeric was one of the main herbs used in Ayurvedic medicine in India. Traditional Indian medicine used turmeric to treat many different health conditions, including digestion problems, parasites, gallstones and arthritis, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Scientists in India began investigating turmeric’s main constituent--called curcumin--in the 1970s for its potential medicinal properties.
Benefits
Today, you might take curcumin or turmeric to treat rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, atherosclerosis, ulcerative colitis, indigestion, Crohn’s disease, bursitis, anterior uveitis or back pain, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Topical turmeric remedies may help treat genital herpes. Other uses for curcumin or turmeric include treating Alzheimer’s disease, high cholesterol, menstrual pain, multiple sclerosis, gas and kidney stones. Curcumin could also help to prevent certain types of cancers and cataracts, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. You shouldn’t take curcumin or turmeric to treat or prevent any medical condition before talking to your physician, however.
Function
Curcumin appears to inhibit leukotriene production in the body, which is responsible for the herb’s anti-inflammatory effects, according to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Curcumin also has antioxidant actions that interfere with cholesterol absorption and cell damage from free radicals (reference 3). Curcumin’s anti-inflammatory effects may also come from it’s ability to reduce histamine levels and increase your adrenal glands’ production of cortisone hormone (reference 1). Curcumin has liver-protective actions against toxins and anticancer activities, as well as blood-thinning effects that prevent excessive clotting of platelets, notes the University of Michigan Health System. No conclusive, widely-accepted medical research in humans confirms these effects in the body, however.
Scientific Evidence
A 1989 double-blind study published in the "Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand" found that taking 500 mg of curcumin four times per day completely or partially relieved indigestion symptoms in 87 percent of the subjects over the course of just one week, says the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Another double-blind study published in the journal "Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology" in 2006 found that taking 1 gram of curcumin twice daily with a conventional treatment reduced the relapse rate of ulcerative colitis and prolonged remission. A 1980 preliminary clinical trial in India determined that curcumin helped to ease inflammation and pain in people with rheumatoid arthritis, says the University of Michigan Health System. Another preliminary trial reported in the journal "Phytotherapy Research" in 1999 found that taking 375 mg of turmeric extract three times daily might help in treating chronic anterior uveitis.
Many laboratory and animal studies have also indicated curcumin’s potential actions in preventing or treating cancer. For example, a study of rats published in "Cancer Research" in 1999 found that curcumin significantly suppressed the growth of colon cancer tumors during the late premalignant stage, notes the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Also, a 1997 laboratory study published in the journal "Anticancer Drugs" discovered that curcumin inhibited the growth of and killed breast cancer cells.
Warnings
Because turmeric is consumed throughout the world as a spice, the herb is generally considered safe. If you take large amounts of curcumin or turmeric extracts, you might experience some gastrointestinal distress, however. Also, animal studies published in the "Indian Journal of Exploratory Biology" and the journal "Toxicology Letters" suggested that taking too much turmeric caused liver toxicity in mice and rats, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. If you have gallstones, stomach ulcers, hyperacidity gastrointestinal disorders or bile duct obstructions, you shouldn’t take turmeric or curcumin. Turmeric or curcumin could interfere with certain prescription drugs, such as anticoagulants or antiplatelets, some breast cancer therapies, norfloxacin, celiprolol and midazolam.
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