General Diseases

We have seen curcumin being used to support the healing of many types of illnesses. Here are some of them...

Alzheimer’s & Dementia Disease

Nano Curcumin is touted to be a major breakthrough in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease due to its ability to penetrate the blood blain Barrier. Its anti-amyloidal property is KEY in preventing and reducing plaque build-up and even desorbs built up plaque in the brain. In a clinical trial, after 12 weeks of curcumin supplementation in Alzheimer’s disease treatment, the total score of the Neuro-Psychiatric Inventory-brief questionnaire decreased significantly in both acuity of symptoms and burden of caregivers. In one case, the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score was up five points, from 12/30 to 17/30. In the other two cases, no significant change was seen in the MMSE; however, they came to recognize their family within 1 year of treatment. The present cases suggest a significant improvement of the behavioral symptoms in the AD without any adverse reaction in the clinical symptom and laboratory data.

Reference: Effects of turmeric on Alzheimer's disease with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. 2012 Oct;33(4):499-504. doi: 10.4103/0974-8520.110524 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665200/)

Cancer

Curcumin has been found to have therapeutic and preventative potential for cancer patients through in-vitro, animal and human clinical studies for - colorectal, liver, pancreatic, lung, breast, uterine, ovarian, prostate, bladder, kidney, renal, brain, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia cancers. Here, curcumin acted as a modulator of intra-cellular signaling pathways on multiple targets which control tumor growth, angiogenesis, metastasis, inflammation, invasion and apoptosis. Curcumin may therefore be efficient in the treatment of cancers, especially pertaining to lymphoma, myeloma, leukemia, liver, cervical, ovarian, uterine, breast, prostate, pancreatic, lung and the gastrointestinal tract.

Extensive research within the last decade in cell culture and in rodents has revealed that curcumin can sensitize tumours to different chemotherapeutic agents including doxorubicin, 5-FU, paclitaxel, vincristine, melphalan, butyrate, cisplatin, celecoxib, vinorelbine, gemcitabine, oxaliplatin, etoposide, sulfinosine, thalidomide, and bortezomib.

Intensive studies have shown that curcumin can enhance chemo and radiation efficacy by preventing the cancer cell from becoming resistant to treatment. Reversed multi drugs resistant cells make the organs sensitive to treatment and plus, curcumin reduces the organs' toxicity that have been induced by chemo and radiation therapy.

Reference: Curcumin, the golden spice from Indian saffron, is a chemosensitizer and radiosensitizer for tumors and chemoprotector and radioprotector for normal organs. Nutr Cancer. 2010;62(7):919-30. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2010.509835. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20924967)

Cardiovascular Diseases

Curcumin offers healing qualities that may protect against cardiac hypertrophy, heart failure and heart attacks. In pulmonary hypertension, curcumin can decrease pulmonary arterial pressure, help blood flow and strengthen blood vessels. At the end of a 2-month curcumin supplement clinical trial, the results, as compared to levels before the trial, we observed:

A significant decrease in...

Serum levels of triglycerides (145 vs. 120)

Bad LDL-cholesterol (118 vs. 84)

Total cholesterol ( 172 vs. 154)

Fasting blood glucose (141 vs. 122)

VLDL-cholesterol (28 vs. 22)

hs-CRP* (2.15 vs. 0.59)

And, an increase in...

Good HDL-cholesterol (39 vs. 41)

Note: * Higher hs-CRP levels may increase the risk of heart attacks.

Reference: The Effect of Curcumin on some of Traditional and Non-traditional Cardiovascular Risk Factors: A Pilot Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research (2015), 14 (2): 479-486 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4403064/)

In a preclinical trial, oral administration of curcumin at 25 mg/kg, 50 mg/kg, and 100 mg/kg for 7 days had no substantial effects on the pharmacodynamics of Warfarin and Clopidogrel in this animal model, compared to Warfarin alone, different doses of curcumin combined with Warfarin had no effects on the prothrombin time in rats. Similarly, a combination of curcumin and Clopidogrel had no significant effect on the maximum platelet aggregation rate of rats compared with the use of Clopidogrel alone. This trial demonstrated that preadministration of 100 mg/kg curcumin affected the pharmacokinetics of Warfarin and Clopidogrel but had no effect on pharmacodynamic parameters such as anticoagulation rate and antiplatelet aggregation. (Note: 100mg/kg of curcumin is very high dose, if your body weight is 75 kg. that is 7,500 mg.)

Reference: Curcumin alters the pharmacokinetics of warfarin and clopidogrel in Wistar rats but has no effect on anticoagulation or antiplatelet aggregation. Planta Med. 2013 Jul;79(11):971-7. doi: 10.1055/s-0032-1328652. Epub 2013 Jun 27 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23807811)

In a preclinical study, mice were fed with curcumin at 0.2% (wt/wt) in their diet for 4 months. This supplementation reduced the extent of atherosclerotic lesion (artery pluque) by 26%. We observed a reduction (-37%) in macrophage infiltration in the plaque, as measured by immunohistochemistry.

Reference: Dietary curcumin inhibits atherosclerosis by affecting the expression of genes involved in leukocyte adhesion and transendothelial migration. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2012 Aug;56(8):1270-81. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201100818. Epub 2012 Jul 2 (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/mnfr.201100818/abstract)

Depression

In a clinical study, 56 individuals with major depressive disorder were treated with curcumin or placebo for 8 weeks. From baseline to week 4, both curcumin and placebo were associated with improvements in IDS-SR30 total score and most secondary outcome measures. From weeks 4 to 8, curcumin was significantly more effective than placebo in improving in IDS-SR30 total score (F1, 53=4.22, p=.045) and IDS-SR30 mood score (F1, 53=6.51, p=.014), and a non-significant trend for STAI trait score (F1, 48=2.86, p=.097). Greater efficacy from curcumin treatment was identified in a subgroup of individuals with atypical depression.

Reference: Curcumin for the treatment of major depression: a randomised, double-blind, placebo controlled study. J Affect Disord. 2014;167:368-75. doi: 10.1016/j.jad.2014.06.001. Epub 2014 Jun 11 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25046624)

In a clinical trial that combined curcumin treatment with antidepressive agents (Escitalopram or Venlafaxine) during August 2010 until June 2011, based on the outcome measures of Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale - the combined curcumin treatment group demonstrated a trend to a more rapid relief of depressive symptoms in comparison to those in the placebo group or antidepressive agents alone. None of the patients complained of any adverse effect during the study.

Curcumin as an add-on to antidepressive treatment: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, pilot clinical study. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2013 May-Jun;36(3):73-7. doi: 10.1097/WNF.0b013e31828ef969 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23673908)

Another clinical trial showed it worked as good as Fluoxetine after 6 weeks treatment measured by HAM-D17 scale - in that curcumin alone as an effective and safe modality for treatment without concurrent suicidal ideation or other psychotic disorders.

Reference: Efficacy and safety of curcumin in major depressive disorder: a randomized controlled trial. Phytother Res. 2014 Apr;28(4):579-85. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5025. Epub 2013 Jul 6 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23832433/)

Diabetes Mellitus

Curcumin modulates blood sugar and improves insulin receptor function by improving its binding capacity to sugar. It activates PPAR (peroxisome proliferator-activator receptor), which is a group of key nuclear proteins that regulate gene expression and modulate sugar uptake and utilization in the bloodstream.

In a large clinical trial, curcumin was able to effectively and signiﬁcantly prevent type 2 diabetes development in the prediabetic population (0% of curcumin-treated subjects developed Diabetes Mellitus, whereas 16.4% of placebo-treated subjects developed Diabetes Mellitus). In addition, we found that curcumin intervention - improved b-cell functions, indicated by an increased HOMA-b, reduced C-peptide and body weight in 9 months study.

Reference: Curcumin Extract for Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Diabetes Care. 2012 Nov;35(11):2121-7. doi: 10.2337/dc12-0116 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22773702)

In a clinical trial, co-treatment with Glyburide no patient has experienced the hypoglycaemia. The low-density lipoprotein, very-low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides were decreased significantly, and the high-density lipoprotein content increased. The co-administration of curcumin with Glyburide may be beneficial to the patients in better glycaemic control.

Reference: Evaluation of the effect of curcumin capsules on glyburide therapy in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus. Phytother Res. 2014 Dec;28(12):1796-800. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5201. Epub 2014 Jul 17 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25044423)

A preclinical trial has shown that curcumin treatment strongly induced glucose uptake. Co-treatment of curcumin with insulin produced a mutual synergistic activation of both AMPK/ACC and PI3-kinase/Akt pathways glucose uptake with increased insulin sensitivity in muscle cells.

Reference: Synergistic effect of curcumin and insulin on muscle cell glucose metabolism. Food Chem Toxicol. 2010 Aug-Sep;48(8-9):2366-73. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2010.05.073. Epub 2010 Jun 1. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20561944)

Erectile Dysfunction

In an preclinical study, high bioavailability curcumin was able to...

...mediate erectile function via induction of HO-1 enzyme with up regulating CC cGMP levels.

...decrease in vascular superoxide production and protein kinase-C inhibition.

...create more prolonged duration of enhancing erectile.

Reference: Efﬁcacy of a novel water-soluble curcumin derivative versus sildenaﬁl citrate in mediating erectile function. DOI: 10.1111/and.12309 (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/and.12309/full)

Familial Adenomatous Polyposis (FAP)

Autosomal-dominant disorder is characterized by hundreds of colorectal adenomas that eventually develop into colon cancer. Clinical trials have shown that 6 months of curcumin and quercetin combination supplement consumption, there was a 60.4% decrease in the numbers and a 50.9% reduction in the sizes of polyps, without any appreciable toxicity observed in all of the clinical trial patients.

Reference: Combination Treatment With Curcumin and Quercetin of Adenomas in Familial Adenomatous Polyposis DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2006.03.020 (http://www.cghjournal.org/article/S1542-3565(06)00278-3/fulltext)

Gastric Disorder

Curcumin may help relieve symptoms of gastric disorder known as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It may also help in the protection against the development of gastric ulcers.

An open-label clinical study evaluated the efficacy of curcumin in patients with ulcerative proctitis and Crohn disease. After 3 months of curcumin treatment, there was a mean reduction of 55 points in the Crohn disease activity index, and, reductions in erythrocyte sedimentation rate and CRP were observed in these patients.

Reference: Curcumin therapy in inflammatory bowel disease: a pilot study. Dig Dis Sci. 2005 Nov;50(11):2191-3 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16240238/)

In a clinical trial, the addition of curcumin to 5ASA(Ulcerative Colitis drug) therapy was superior to the combination of placebo and 5ASA in inducing clinical and endoscopic remission in patients with mild to moderate active Ulcerative Colitis (UC) - producing no apparent adverse effects. Curcumin may be a safe and promising agent for treatment of Ulcerative Colitis (UC).

Reference: Curcumin in Combination With 5-aminosalycilate Induces Remission in Patients with Mild to Moderate Ulcerative Colitis in a Randomized Controlled Trial. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2015 Feb 24. pii: S1542-3565(15)00158-5. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2015.02.019 (www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25724700)

In a preclinical trial, curcumin was able to treat ulcerative colitis, and also protect against induced gastric ulcers brought on by the use of the pain killer drug Indomethacin (NSAIDs).

Reference: Mechanisms of the protective effects of curcumin against indomethacin-induced gastric ulcer in rats. (NSAID) Pharmacology. 2013;91(5-6):267-74. doi: 10.1159/000350190. Epub 2013 May 15 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23689497)

Kidney Disease

As an anti-inflammatory, curcumin may offer some protection against chronic kidney disease and progression to end-stage renal failure. According to a 2014 article published in Molecules, the curcumin in turmeric blunts the effects of the inflammatory molecules and enzymes that may lead to chronic kidney disease.

Reference: Curcumin and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD): Major Mode of Action through Stimulating Endogenous Intestinal Alkaline Phosphatase Molecules 2014, 19(12), 20139-20156; doi:10.3390/molecules191220139 (http://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/19/12/20139)

Liver Function

In Ayurvedic medicine, and other early research, they suggest that curcumin may have a protective effect on the liver. Curcumin shows therapeutic actions in different liver diseases, namely, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, alcoholic liver disease, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, drug-induced hepatotoxicity, liver cancer, biliary cirrhosis, and primary sclerosing cholangitis.

Reference: Curcumin and Liver Disease: from Chemistry to Medicine. DOI: 10.1111/1541-4337.12047 (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1541-4337.12047/full)

Lungs

Curcumin promotes healthy lung function. It attenuates lung injury and fibrosis caused by radiation, chemotherapeutic drugs toxicants and smoking. It holds a protective role in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute lung injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and allergic asthma, whereby its therapeutic action is on the prevention or modulation of inflammation and oxidation.

Reference: Protection from acute and chronic lung diseases by curcumin. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:379-405. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17569221)

Menstruation, premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

Curcumin helps to regulate menstruation and ease menstrual pain. In a clinical trial, after having identified persons suffering from premenstrual syndrome (PMS), participants received curcumin supplement daily for seven days before menstruation and for three days after menstruation for three successive cycles. A total severity of the PMS score had reduced 60% after consuming the curcumin supplement.

Reference: Curcumin attenuates severity of premenstrual syndrome symptoms: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Complement Ther Med. 2015 Jun;23(3):318-24. doi: 10.1016/j.ctim.2015.04.001. Epub 2015 Apr 9 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=curcumin+and+ premenstrual+ syndrome)

Muscle Pain & Injury

Curcumin may stimulate muscle building, faster muscle recovery and muscle regeneration. In a double-blind randomized-controlled crossover trial, there is some evidence that suggests that consuming oral curcumin reduces pain associated with DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness) - enhancing the recovery of muscles after heavy eccentric exercise.

Reference: Curcumin supplementation likely attenuates delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Eur J Appl Physiol. 2015 Aug;115(8):1769-77. doi: 10.1007/s00421-015-3152-6. Epub 2015 Mar 21 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25795285)

Oral curcumin supplementation (2.5 g twice daily) versus placebo was studied a clinical trial - on the single-leg jump performance and DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness) following unaccustomed heavy eccentric exercise, at 24 and 48-h post-exercise. It was shown that curcumin caused moderate to large reductions in pain during the single leg squat (VAS scale -1.4 to -1.7; 90 %CL: ±1.0), gluteal stretch (-1.0 to -1.9; ±0.9), squat jump (-1.5 to -1.1; ± 1.2), including, small reductions in creatine kinase activity (-22-29 %; ±21-22 %). Associated with the pain reduction was also a small increase in single-leg jump performance (15 %; 90 %CL ± 12 %).

Neuropathic Pain

In an 8-week clinical trial, 141 patients affected with neuropathic pain caused by lumber sciatica, lumber disk herniation, and/or lumber canal stenosis, or carpel tunnel syndrome - was co-treated with formulated curcumin and Dexibuprofen. The study showed a reduction in neuropathic pain by 66%. This reduction was statistically significant. The treatment reduced Dexibuprofen use by 40%. On the basis of its safety and efficacy, curcumin could be an effective complementary therapy to be added onto conventional treatment to achieve better efficacy in managing neuropathic pain.

Reference: Safety and efficacy of an add-on therapy with curcumin phytosome and piperine and/or lipoic acid in subjects with a diagnosis of peripheral neuropathy treated with dexibuprofen J Pain Res. 2013; 6: 497–503. Published online 2013 Jul 3. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S48432 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3704545/)

Osteoarthritis

It was shown for the first time in a pilot clinical trial, that oral curcumin positively modulated the metabolism of cartilage in the knees of osteoarthritis patients, and reduced pain - thus, significantly pointing to its anti-inflammatory effect.

Reference: Decrease of a specific biomarker of collagen degradation in osteoarthritis, Coll2-1, by treatment with highly bioavailable curcumin during an exploratory clinical trial. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014 May 17.14:159. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-14-159 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24886572)

After 6 weeks of curcumin supplement administered in a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial for patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis - changes we observed in serum activities of SOD, and concentrations of GSH and MDA during the course of trial were significantly correlated. Supplementation with curcumin attenuates systemic oxidative stress in patients with osteoarthritis. These antioxidant effects may account for the reported therapeutic effects of curcuminoids in relieving osteoarthritis symptoms.

Reference: Mitigation of Systemic Oxidative Stress by Curcuminoids in Osteoarthritis: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial. J Diet Suppl. 2015 Feb 17. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25688638)

PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) Levels

In a clinical trial, analysis by ANCOVA showed that PSA levels decreased by almost 50% in the patients group with PSA higher than 10 that were treated with supplements containing curcumin and isoﬂavones for six months. Curcumin presumably synergizes with isoﬂavones to suppress PSA production in prostate cells through the anti-androgen effects.

Reference: Combined inhibitory effects of soy isoflavones and curcumin on the production of prostate-specific antigen. Prostate. 2010 Jul 1;70(10):1127-33. doi: 10.1002/pros.21147 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20503397)

Radiation Dermatitis

In a clinical trial, breast cancer patients took 2.0 grams of curcumin or placebo orally three times per day (i.e., 6.0 grams daily) throughout their course of radiation treatment. Fisher’s exact test revealed that fewer curcumin-treated patients had moist desquamation (28.6% vs. 87.5%; P =0.002). Standard pooled variances t test showed that curcumin reduced Radiation Dermatitis Severity score (RDS) at the end of treatment compared to placebo (mean RDS =2.6 vs. 3.4, P =0.008). In conclusion, curcumin reduced the severity of Radiation Dermatitis in breast cancer patients.

Reference: Curcumin for radiation dermatitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of thirty breast cancer patients. Radiat Res. 2013 Jul;180(1):34-43. doi: 10.1667/RR3255.1. Epub 2013 Jun 7 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23745991)

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Most arthritic diseases are caused predominantly by inflammation and the deterioration of cartilages, induced by interleukins. Curcumin’s anti-inflammatory property inhibits this activity of interleukins, therefore possibly making curcumin a good option to treating this disease.

In a randomized pilot clinical trial - treatment with curcumin and conventional drug Diclofenac Sodium were compared in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment. The curcumin group showed the highest percentage of improvement in overall DAS and ACR scores (ACR 20, 50 and 70) and these scores were significantly better than the patients in the Diclofenac Sodium group. More importantly, curcumin treatment was found to be safe and did not relate with any adverse events.

Reference: A randomized, pilot study to assess the efficacy and safety of curcumin in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis. Phytother Res. 2012 Nov;26(11):1719-25. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4639. Epub 2012 Mar 9. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22407780)

A clinical trial has shown curcumin alone works better than Diclofenac (NSAIDs) drug alone, and no interaction combined in R. Arthritis treatment.

In a preclinical trial, curcumin and Prednisolone (Steriod) works synergistically to treat arthritis and at the same time also showed reduced steroid toxicity.

Reference: Curcumin potentiates the anti-arthritic effect of prednisolone in Freund's complete adjuvant-induced arthritic rats. Pharm Pharmacol. 2014 Jan;66(1):133-44. doi: 10.1111/jphp.12156. Epub 2013 Oct 21 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24138213)

Uterine Fibroid

In a vitro study showed curcumin may be useful as an alternative therapy for uterine fibroid. For example curcumin...

...helps in the inhibition of the unnecessary and excessive growth of the uterine tissues, which helps in controlling uterine leiomyomas or fibroids.

...induces programmed cell death in the cells forming fibroids or tumours in the uterine fibroids/leiomyosis. This controls and heals the disorder naturally.

...helps in inhibiting the production or regulating the production of fibronectin which ultimately helps in controlling growth of the fibroid tissue and stopping the deposition of extracellular matrix components that makes the fibroids hard.

...inhibits the growth factors that help in developing blood vessels in the fibroid tissue. This leads to the restraining of oxygen supply to these cells and the tumour cells die.

...helps in regulation of the inflammation in the uterine tissues by healing them of any injury or infection. This leads to reduced damage to the cells of the uterus and lesser chances of occurrence of uterine fibroids.

Reference: Inhibitory effect of curcumin on uterine leiomyoma cell proliferation. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2011 Jul;27(7):512-7. doi: 10.3109/09513590.2010.507287. Epub 2010 Jul 30 (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20672906)

Other Suggested Health Benefits

Boosts the body’s immune system.
Promotes a healthy digestive system.
Reduce fatigue & boosts energy.
Speeds-up wound healing and relieves aches and pains.
Improves gall bladder function by inducing gall bladder emptying, thus reducing gallstone formation.
Reduces the activity of xanthine oxidase [XO], the enzyme involved in the production of uric acid.
As a treatment for obesity and obesity-related metabolic diseases. Its thermogenic property naturally boosts metabolism to help burn calories.
Decreases the sleep-deprivation-induced anxiety behavior and oxidative stress, and improves impaired locomotor activity.
Promotes healthy radiant skin and helps to treat skin diseases, including psoriasis ans eczema.

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