Turmeric and Curcumin

Several articles on turmeric and its properties.

Turmeric Extract
from: http://www.turmericextract.com

Turmeric Extract is a bright yellow/orange polyphenol having the form of a dry powder that is oil-soluble. The concentrate has neither flavor nor aroma. It colors food readily if there is oil present. The medicinal properties and health benefits of turmeric extract are attributed partly to its strong anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory characteristics.

Turmeric extract is derived from the root of the turmeric plant first by drying and then by separation using a solvent. There are 18 times more curcuminoids in the concentrate than in the natural spice which is simply a powdered form of the dried root. The concentrate is also known as Curcumin.

Turmeric extract has attracted the attention of researchers in the fields of Alzheimer's Disease, Memory Deficits, Arthritis, Cancer, including Breast Cancer and Diabetes.

Research Papers on Turmeric Extract.
Scientific Data on Turmeric Extract:

* Synonyms:
o 1,7-Bis(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-1,6-heptadiene-3,5-dione
o Curcumin
o Food Color E100
o diferuloylmethane
o A common mis-spelling of Turmeric is "Tumeric"
o Other Languages: Haldi (North India); Manjal (South India); Kunyit (Indonesia); Al-kurkum (الكركم, Arabic); Jiang Huang (姜黄, Chinese); Curcuma (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian).

curcumin molecule
molecular structure of curcumin

* Chemical Formula: C21H20O6; Molecular Weight: 368.38
* Metabolites: Curcumin-sulphate, Curcumin-glucuronide. Catabolites: Vanillic acid, Ferulic acid.
* Three Molecular Forms: curcumin, demethoxycurcumin and bisdemethoxycurcumin.
* Molecular structure: it is a dimer of vanillin (two molecules of vanillin joined together).

The Plant:
The turmeric plant has the botanical name of "Curcuma Longa Linn.", and is a member of the Zingiberaceae or ginger family. Its source is India but it is now cultivated in China and elsewhere. It grows to 1 metre in height and has long oblong leaves. Beneath the foliage, in the ground, are the rhizomes from which the food coloring is derived. turmeric extract plant
turmeric plant
Benefits of Turmeric Extract:

* anti-oxidant effects.
* anti-inflammatory effects, yet it does not irritate the stomach as do many Cox-2 inhibitors.
* anti-dyspepsia effects;
* breaks up Alzheimer's amyloid-beta oligomers and aggregates in laboratory studies. We await clinical trials in humans.
* anti-platelet effects;
* causes apoptosis (death) of various malignant cell types including skin, colon, forestomach, duodenum and ovary in laboratory studies. We await clinical trials in humans.
* anti-viral effects;
* anti-fungal effects;
* anti-bacterial effects (inhibits Helicobacter Pylori);
* inhibits NFkappaB, 5-lipoxygenase, glutathione S-transferase and cytochrome P-450 isoenzyme 1A1.
* health benefits of the simple spice Turmeric: a study of the elderly in Singapore demonstrated a positive connection between turmeric/curry consumption and cognitive function. Those who ate curry often (more than once a month) or ate it occasionally (once or more in 6 months) performed significantly better at the Mini-Mental State Examination than did those who ate curry less than once a month. (American Journal of Epidemiology 11/2006.)
* Turmeric Tea is widely consumed in Okinawa, Japan, where it is known as "ukoncha". It is considered one of the reasons for longevity amongst Okinawans. Steep 1 teaspoon of turmeric spice into a teapot of hot water for 10 minutes and pour through a fine strainer into a cup; its health benefits are its anti-inflammatory properties which make it good for arthritis and its anti-oxidant properties which are good for circulation and memory.

Traditional and Modern Uses Of Turmeric Extract:
In India it has been in use for centuries both as a component of curry and as a medicine for arthritic and muscular disorders. Indians are thought to consume 80-200 mg per day. In China it has been used as a topical analgesic, for colic, ringworm, hepatitis and chest pain.

In Europe it is used in many foods as a coloring in curry, mustard, margarine, cheese, beverages and cakes. In the recent past it has been used for chronic anterior uveitis, Helicobacter pylori bacteria and dyspepsia.

There are now over 1600 articles cited by Pubmed on the subject of the medical benefits of turmeric and its components including 553 on cancer, 42 on breast cancer, 33 on arthritis and 15 on alzheimer's disease. These figures indicate that Turmeric Extract is now being used in new ways.

Research Papers on Turmeric Extract.
turmeric
turmeric Turmeric Extract
turmeric extract
Usage and Availability of Turmeric Extract:

Customary usage of Turmeric Extract: 1 - 2.5 gms per day.
Turmeric Extract now has a curcuminoid content of 95% plus and is available in 500mg capsules.
Note: turmeric is sometimes pronounced as tumeric in the marketplace.
.
Zerumbone (from Ginger)
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Pregnant or lactating women, diabetics, hypoglycemics, and people with known medical conditions and/or taking medicines should consult with a licensed physician and/or pharmacist prior to taking dietary supplements.

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Curcumin 'could slow liver disease'
The Indian spice curcumin may slow down the progress of liver disease, a study has shown.

Published: 9:00AM GMT 24 Mar 2010
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

The substance (curcumin) which gives the curry spice turmeric its bright yellow colour - has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine - practised on the Indian subcontinent - to treat a wide range of gastrointestinal disorders.

Previous studies also suggested it has anti-inflammatory properties and works as an antioxidant.

The latest study, published in the journal Gut, looked at damage to the liver caused by progressive inflammatory illnesses, including primary sclerosing cholangitis and primary biliary cirrhosis.

These conditions can be triggered by genetic faults or autoimmune disease, causing the liver's bile ducts to become inflamed, scarred and blocked.

The damage to the tissues can be irreversible and cause progression to liver cirrhosis, which can be fatal.

Experts from Austria and the US studied tissue and blood samples taken from mice with chronic liver inflammation.

The samples were looked at before and after adding curcumin to their diet for a period of four or eight weeks.

Being fed curcumin led to fewer blockages of the bile duct and less damage to cells in the liver and scarring, the research found. No such effects were seen in mice fed a normal diet.

There were no extra benefits if the mice were fed curcumin for eight weeks rather than four.

A separate study, by Manchester and Newcastle researchers, also published in Gut, related to research on more than 4,600 people, assessing their risk of primary biliary cirrhosis.

Smoking increased the risk by 63% while hair dye increased the risk by 37%, the experts found.

Previous bouts of urinary infection, psoriasis and shingles also increased the risk as did autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid and coeliac diseases.

People in the study were not asked how often they dyed their hair and it is unclear which part of the hair dye may be responsible for the effect, the experts said.

However, previous studies have noted a link between cirrhosis and a chemical found in cosmetics called octynoic acid, which is used in hair dye and nail polish.

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Curcumin and Black Pepper Combine to Stop Breast Cancer Tumor Cells
Link to Article: sott.net

David Gutierrez
NaturalNews
Tue, 11 May 2010 00:00 EDT

Natural chemicals found in the spices turmeric and black pepper appear to stop the growth of breast tumors, according to a study conducted by researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment.

Researchers applied a solution containing both curcumin, found in turmeric, and piperine, which makes black pepper spicy, to breast cancer cells in a laboratory, using concentrations 20 times higher than those found in the human diet. They found that the solution hampered the ability of stem cells to propagate but did not affect the differentiation of normal breast cells.

"This shows that these compounds are not toxic to normal breast tissue," lead author Madhuri Kakarala said.

Cancer stem cells are the cells in tumors that allow it to keep growing without limit. Current chemotherapy treatments are unable to affect stem cells, which is part of the reason that cancers can spread and recur even in those undergoing treatment.

"If we can limit the number of stem cells, we can limit the number of cells with potential to form tumors," Kakarala said.

The researchers found that the piperine appeared to make the curcumin more effective. They also found that the solution affected cancer stem cells regardless of whether the tumors were estrogen-sensitive or not. This is an especially significant finding because the cancer-preventive drugs tamoxifen or raloxifene, which can have highly toxic side effects, do not affect estrogen-independent tumors.

"The concept that dietary compounds can help is attractive, and curcumin and piperine appear to have very low toxicity," Karkala said.

Previous studies have linked a diet high in turmeric to a lower risk of breast, colon, prostate and lung cancers. Black pepper and piperine have both also been shown to suppress the development of colon and lung tumors in animal tests.

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Take Turmeric to Avoid Pancreatic Cancer that Killed Steve Jobs

Thursday, October 13, 2011 9:33 AM

By Sylvia Booth Hubbard

http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/headline_health/avoid_pancreatic_cancer/2011/10/13/411622.html?s=al&promo_code=D431-1

The death of Steve Jobs added yet another name to the list of celebrities who have died from pancreatic cancer, a stellar group which includes Patrick Swayze, Michael Landon, Luciano Pavarotti, and Jack Benny. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States and has the highest mortality rate of all cancers, killing 95 percent of its victims, according to the American Cancer Society.

"It's a dismal, deadly disease," surgical oncologist Dr. Robert Wascher, M.D., tells Newsmax Health. "But like other forms of cancer, up to 65 percent can be prevented by relatively modest diet and lifestyle changes," says Wascher, author of "A Cancer Prevention Guide for the Human Race."

One simple preventative step is to take the spice turmeric, which is a strong cancer fighter, says Wascher. (Black Salve Indonesia Compounds B, BV, and D contain turmeric, also known as kunyit kuning .)

Steve Jobs lived for seven years after he announced he was suffering from pancreatic cancer. Most victims aren't nearly so fortunate and often live less than a year after their diagnosis. But Jobs had a rare type of pancreatic cancer called neuroendocrine. "Only 5 to 8 percent of pancreatic cancers are this type, and its biology is different from the more common garden variety called adenocarcinoma that most people get," says Wascher. "The form Jobs had is less aggressive and patients tend to live longer."

One reason for the poor survival statistics -- it kills more than 37,000 Americans a year -- is that pancreatic cancer usually causes no symptoms until it is advanced and has metastasized to other organs. The fortunate few who survive, including Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, are diagnosed early, when the disease is treatable by surgery — and usually as a result of a CT scan or MRI conducted for another reason.

Treatment options are few, says Wascher: "The only cure comes with very radical surgery. No one is cured by chemotherapy or radiation without surgery. If pancreatic tumors can't be removed surgically, they tend to be quite resistant to chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

"Conventional medical and surgical procedures obviously do not cure pancreatic cancer for the vast majority of patients," he says. "So, I think it's reasonable to be a little more open-minded about complementary and alternative therapies when you have tried conventional therapies and have no other options. Both laboratory and clinical studies suggest there are some nutritional therapies that might have an effect on pancreatic cancer."

There are two unconventional therapies Wascher suggests to some of his patients who are battling pancreatic cancer:

Turmeric. Turmeric has a cancer-fighting component called curcumin. "Laboratory tests and some animal studies show it has potential activity against pancreatic cancer." But, he warns, "What works in a laboratory environment doesn't necessarily work in humans." Wascher himself takes 1,000 mg of turmeric twice a day. "I don't know for sure that it will help me, but I'm pretty sure it won't hurt." There is no established dosage, but most experts recommend taking between 500 mg and 2,000 mg daily.

A Phase II clinical trial at MD Anderson Center involved 25 patients with pancreatic cancer who were given 8 grams of turmeric a day for two months. Tumor growth stopped in two patients, one for eight months and another for two-and-a-half years. Another patient's tumor temporarily regressed by 73 percent. Since the only two drugs approved by the FDA are effective in no more than 10 percent of patients, turmeric's effectiveness was similar with no side effects.

In another study, turmeric reduced tumor growth in mice with pancreatic cancer by 43 percent. When combined with fish oil, tumor growth was reduced by 70 percent.

Since turmeric is poorly absorbed by the body, experts advise mixing it with olive oil or a combination of olive oil and black pepper to increase absorption. (In Black Salve Indonesia formulations, curcumin is fully useable by the body.)

Metformin. Metformin is a drug used to treat Type 2 diabetes. University of Texas MD Anderson Center researchers found that diabetics who took metformin had a 60 percent lower risk of developing pancreatic cancer compared to diabetics who didn't use the drug. "In clinical studies, we've found that people who take metformin tend to survive longer," Wascher says. "Based on that data, I tend to put patients who have pancreatic cancer on metformin even if they have very mild diabetes. It's such a lethal disease that it's worth the hope of even a small benefit."

By far the best option is to avoid pancreatic cancer, and as in the prevention of other cancers, changes in diet and lifestyle offer you your best chances of living a long and healthy life. Steps to lower risk include:

Quit smoking. Approximately 27 percent of pancreatic cancers are linked with smoking. One study in Los Angeles County found that smoking a pack or more of cigarettes a day was associated with a fivefold to sixfold increase in the risk. Research at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University found that a protein in the body which makes cancer cells more likely to spread is much higher in the pancreas of smokers who have pancreatic cancer.

Lose weight. About 25 percent of pancreatic cancer is associated with obesity. Women who are severely obese have a 45 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer, according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. And a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that adults who were overweight as teens had a 60 percent higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer as adults.

Eat fresh vegetables and whole grains. A study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention found that people who ate the most vegetables lowered their risk of pancreatic cancer by 55 percent when compared to those who ate the least. A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology found that people with the highest fiber intake lowered their risk of pancreatic cancer up to 48 percent when compared with those with the lowest fiber intake.

Keep sugar levels in check. Studies have found that 1 percent of patients diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes after the age of 50 will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer within three years.

Avoid sugary drinks. The Georgetown University Medical Center found that people who drank as few as two soft drinks a week doubled their risk of pancreatic cancer.

Shun processed meats and red meat (non-organic). Research from the Cancer Research Center at the University of Hawaii found that people who ate the highest amount of processed meats increased their risk of pancreatic cancer by 67 percent. Diets high in red meats upped cancer risk by about 50 percent.

"When it comes to cancer prevention," says Wascher, "the old adage about an ounce of prevention being worth a pound of cure should probably be revised to 'An ounce of cancer prevention is worth a ton of cancer cure.'"

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Turmeric, Curcumin Naturally Block Cancer Growth

Anthony Gucciardi
NaturalSociety
January 29, 2012
http://naturalsociety.com/turmeric-curcumin-naturally-block-cancer-cells/

Turmeric, Curcumin Naturally Block Cancer GrowthTurmeric and curcumin have been highlighted as powerful anti-cancer substances in the past, but research has now shed even more light on the amazing ability of both turmeric and curcumin to actually block cancer growth. This is due to the unique ability of a main component in turmeric that is actually able to block an enzyme that promotes the spread of head and neck cancer.

Researchers at UCLA found that curcumin — the primary component in turmeric also responsible for its color — exhibited these cancer-blocking properties during a study involving 21 participants suffering from head and neck cancers. The subjects were given two chewable curcumin tablets containing 1,000 miligrams of the substance each. After administering the chewable curcumin tablets, an independent lab in Maryland was in charge of evaluating the results.

What the lab found was that the enzymes in the patients’ mouths responsible for promoting cancer spread and growth were inhibited by the curcumin supplementation. As a result, the curcumin intake halted the spread of the malignant cells. Curcumin has previously been found to reduce tumors by 81% in similarly shocking research, which also gives credence to the natural anti-cancer benefits of turmeric and curcumin intake.

While the benefits of turmeric have not been widely publicized in the United States, turmeric is known for its widespread use in many South Asian and Middle Eastern countries. Utilized as a spice in traditional dishes, many cultures have already fully recognized the powerful health-promoting aspects of turmeric. Perhaps the best part about turmeric is the fact that it is very cheap compared to highly ineffective cancer drugs that have actually been shown to worsen tumors conditions and kill patients. As more health professionals begin to realize the attributes of turmeric and curcumin, it is very possible that it could become as popular and widespread — if not more so– than super-nutrient vitamin D.

Traditional Black Salve/ Compound A - Mild Traditional Black Salve/ Compound A - Strong Yellow Powder/ Compound B - Small Yellow Powder/ Compound B - Large Yellow Salve/ Compound BV - Small Yellow Salve/ Compound BV - Large Healing Salve/ Compound C - Large Red Salve/ Compound D - Medium Strength Brown Powder/ Compound L - Large

Black Salve Indonesia

Information About Turmeric in Red Salve and Yellow Powder Medicines

Information About
Turmeric in Red Salve and Yellow Powder Medicines