'Contrary to decades of hype, curcumin alone is unlikely to boost health'

Remy

Administrator
Well, if there is no RCT, I guess we should throw it in the trash! :rolleyes:

Curcumin, a compound in turmeric, continues to be hailed as a natural treatment for a wide range of health conditions, including cancer and Alzheimer's disease. But a new review of the scientific literature on curcumin has found it's probably not all it's ground up to be. The report in ACS' Journal of Medicinal Chemistry instead cites evidence that, contrary to numerous reports, the compound has limited -- if any -- therapeutic benefit.

Turmeric, a spice often added to curries and mustards because of its distinct flavor and color, has been used for centuries in traditional medicine. Since the early 1990's, scientists have zeroed in on curcumin, which makes up about 3 to 5 percent of turmeric, as the potential constituent that might give turmeric its health-boosting properties. More than 120 clinical trials to test these claims have been or are in the process of being run by clinical investigators. To get to the root of curcumin's essential medicinal chemistry, the research groups of Michael A. Walters and Guido F. Pauli teamed up to extract key findings from thousands of scientific articles on the topic.

The researchers' review of the vast curcumin literature provides evidence that curcumin is unstable under physiological conditions and not readily absorbed by the body, properties that make it a poor therapeutic candidate.

Additionally, they could find no evidence of a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial on curcumin to support its status as a potential cure-all. But, the authors say, this doesn't necessarily mean research on turmeric should halt. Turmeric extracts and preparations could have health benefits, although probably not for the number of conditions currently touted. The researchers suggest that future studies should take a more holistic approach to account for the spice's chemically diverse constituents that may synergistically contribute to its potential benefits.

Story Source:
Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
  1. Kathryn M. Nelson, Jayme L. Dahlin, Jonathan Bisson, James Graham, Guido F. Pauli, Michael A. Walters. The Essential Medicinal Chemistry of Curcumin. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2017; DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00975
 

Edie

Active Member
Well, if there is no RCT, I guess we should throw it in the trash! :rolleyes:

Story Source:

Materials provided by American Chemical Society. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
  1. Kathryn M. Nelson, Jayme L. Dahlin, Jonathan Bisson, James Graham, Guido F. Pauli, Michael A. Walters. The Essential Medicinal Chemistry of Curcumin. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 2017; DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.6b00975
I do believe they are talking about regular curcumin which is not well absorbed. There are some formulas now that are up to 1000 times more absorbable and are powerful antioxidants and anti-inflammatory pain relievers. An excellent company Terry Naturally/Europharma is available at www.totaldiscountvitamins.com at 20% discount. I've just finished reading a booklet by Jan McBarron, M.D.,N.D. called "CURCUMIN THE 21st CENTURY CURE". 2nd Edition. Prevent and Reverse Cancer-Depression and Dementia-Digestive disorders-diabetes-Pain and Arthritis-Heart disease and more. Her website is www.dukeandthedoctor.com
 

rebar

Active Member
Interesting as I've once again stopped my supplements which included Curcumin. I cycle into some type of skin reaction, itching, burning skin. Probably won't go back.
 

Hope

Active Member
I'm sticking with curcumin for my gout attacks. Stops them in 12 hours, it's remarkable.
 

Paw

Well-Known Member
I'm sticking with curcumin for my gout attacks. Stops them in 12 hours, it's remarkable.
Good to know. Maybe I should stop using it daily and save it for gout attacks. What dosage works for your gout? I've been using 750mg high absorption (with pepper extract) once daily.
 

Hope

Active Member
@Paw
I mix half the powder from a 400 mg cap in a few drops of oil and rub it on the affected area then put a sock on it. Also take it orally every 3 hrs during an attack 400 mg x2 high absorption.
 
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Paw

Well-Known Member
Got a wicked sudden case of something like carpal tunnel in my wrist (ironically, from loading supplement capsules). Been rubbing with CBD oil and turmeric -- and I do think that has reduced the intensity and longevity of the attack, based on past experiences.

I started by using the contents of curcumin capsules, but then switched to plain turmeric. Wonder if that's adequate for topical absorption. (Curcumin capsules ain't cheap.)
 

Hope

Active Member
@Paw, I've only used curcumin as it's the active anti inflammatory ingredient in turmeric. I've read that turmeric has lots of other good things in it, but I'd go with the curcumin if I was you as turmeric likely wouldn't have enough of what you need in it.
 

Lissa

Well-Known Member
I get that weird random carpal tunnel thing too. What IS that?! No apparent reason, totally random times. In fact your comment made me remember that I had first noticed it in the year prior to becoming (full blown ME/CFS) sick.

I used to do yoga and the weird wrist pain made certain positions impossible. Yet it never bothered me at other times, and no other joints were affected.

Fast forward to 6 years later.... It just recently started happening again- seemingly out of the blue. It makes zero sense whatsoever. I haven't been doing anything for 6 years!! Like c'mon... really?!!

So does topical application work better than taking supplements? I'm very curious as to results...
 

Empty

Well-Known Member
Organic Turmeric I think is the best with black pepper and eaten with a small amount of fat and there are some interesting studies on it.
 

Paw

Well-Known Member
Hard to say for sure @Lissa, but I do believe my recovery this time was faster than usual. I took a lot of oral curcumin and rubbed my topical mix on the wrist a couple times per day. That was after just one night of almost unbearable pain, which, as I recall, usually leads to about a week of recovery time. This time I was using my hand pretty normally after just a couple of days, as the swelling went down. I'll certainly try the treatment again next time!
 

Lissa

Well-Known Member
@Lissa
Lyme and mold can cause migrating intermittent pain. Have you checked those out?

Had Lyme and successfully treated it in 2013.... was totally familiar with that type of migrating intermittent pain when I got an acute case of Lyme (with huge bullseye rash, and I'd already been sick with ME/CFS for several years.)

That particular type of migrating joint pain left after treating for Lyme. (Yay!) it was distinctly different and more painful-- glad it's gone. I've also been retested for Lyme and coinfections again recently (new doctor, re-covering all the bases) and was still negative.

I am curious about a possible mold connection though. Thanks for the suggestion. It wasn't something I'd linked to misc. pain before. I'm looking forward to Julie R's book!
 

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