TurmericBy Xotchil Medina

Overview

Introduction and Background Benefits Efficacy Mechanism of Action Intended Use Conflicting Research Safety Concerns Professional Position

Introduction

Comes from the root Curcuma longa, a member of the ginger family Grind rhizomes Bright yellow powder

Curcuminoids are main ingredients Mainly Curcumin- makes up 90% of

mixture Referred to as “curry powder”

Background

Traditional Medicinal Practices Topical: treat blistering, parasitic skin

infections, wounds, and acne Oral: treat common cold, liver diseases,

urinary tract diseases, and blood purifier

Benefits

Efficacy against Cancer

Curcumin molecule can interact with many different target compounds Reduces inflammation, cell proliferation,

and invasion Aides in genomic modulation and cell

death Good candidate that can be used

alone or combined with other therapies

Efficacy Continued

Combined with other therapies Natural Compounds: mixes with

compound from soy and they can reduce proliferation of human breast oestrogen-positive cells

Conventional: with radiation curcumin can make cells that have previously been treated become more sensitive to radiation again and cause cell death

Problems

Curcumin is not very bioavailable outside the gastrointestinal tract when taken orally

Methods used to enhance bioavailability Formulate curcumin in nanoparticles:

putting them in liposomes, miscelles, and phospholipid complexes

Mixing with other compounds: piperine from pepper and quercetin from soy counteract enzymes that digest curcumin

Clinical Trials

Phase I- in a few growth slowed a small amount out of 25 people Others had growth despite the treatment

Phase II- one person had a brief, but apparent tumor regression out of 25 people Conclusion is that there is biological

activity Phase III- ongoing clinical trial that

results are not yet published

Mechanism of Action

Cell death by apoptosis Induces up-regulation of pro-apoptotic

proteins from Bcl-2 family and down regulation of anit-apoptic proteins

Leads to opening of mitochondrial permeability pores to release cytochrome c, and activation of the apoptosome

Intended Use Capsule form

Typical dose is 250 to 500mg 2-3times a day Powder

Buy it from the grocery store and cook with it Use 1/8 tsp. or more to taste

Tincture (extract) 1/8 to ½ tsp. in warm water taken 2-3 times a day.

Tea ¼ tsp of tumeric powder and powdered ginger in 1

cup boiling water Let steep for 10 minutes and then add honey or

lemon juice if desired Drink 2-3 cups a day

Conflicting Research Some have a strong belief that curcumin

can help with the reduction and treatment of cancer Limitations: the groups are usually very small

and the results seem to vary within those clinical trials

Some also believe that it only helps with the inflammation aspect that may cause cancer They don’t have concrete evidence to believe

otherwise

Safety Concerns

Turmeric is Generically Recognized As Safe (GRAS) by the FDA Acceptable daily intake is .1-.3 mg/kg-

body weight Research has not come across

toxicity levels The amounts administered in research is

usually way more than people would consume in the diet

People who shouldn’t take it Pregnant women, people with

gallbladder or bile duct conditions, allergies, and people using aspirin

Professional Position

Recommendations from research As a whole I found that some people think it is

beneficial for anti-inflammatory purposes instead of taking prescription drugs

Research is still early and they cannot be sure if it should be used to treat cancer

My Personal Opinion There are not many safety concerns if you’re

healthy and humans can consume a large amount of it without toxicity concerns, and the list of possible benefits cannot hurt

Question or Comments?