we can learn from the east

Health Brief, by Nathaniel Mead

The bright orange yellow spice that colors curries also cuts inflammation better than ibuprofen

Turmeric (Curcuma longa)

What It Is

Also known as Indian Saffron, turmeric is an orange-yellow spice that's included in most Indian curry powders and in mustards. Traditional doctors in India and China have long used the powdered rhizome plant medicinally.

Healing Claims

Western doctors today give turmeric for inflammatory conditions (such as arthritis or acute infections), for conditions caused by free radical damage (such as damage to artery walls that leads to heart disease), and as part of treatment for certain cancers.   

The Evidence

Dozens of studies have confirmed that antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti -cancer power of curcuminoids (the compounds that give turmeric it distinctive color).  In one study, ten volunteers who received 500 mg of curcumin (the principle curcuminoid) per day for an entire week had a sufficient drop in the free radicals that damage the arterial walls.  And in double-blind trial, symptoms of patients with rheumatoid arthritis who received curcumin improved as much as the symptoms of a group who received phyenylbutazone, a popular prescription drug that produce adverse side effects.  Other studies have shown that turmeric extract and curcuminoids inhibit the formation of cancer cells and mutagens.  Because the spice has been used medicinally for centuries, it's possible that curried dishes have therapeutic properties, but Western scientists have not studied the precise effects.

Safety

It should not be used by people with clotting disorders or people taking anti-coagulant medication.  Anyone trying to convince or with fertility problems should avoid using turmeric.  In large amounts, the herb may cause heartburn or stomach upset.  Children under the age two should not be given medicinal preparations of turmeric, and older children and the elderly should begin with low-strength preparations, increasing the dosage if necessary.

Comparison

According to naturopathic doctor Joseph Pizzorno, Jr., curcumin curbs inflammation better than the common anti-inflammatory drug ibuprofen. 

Nathaniel Mead is a medical journalist living in North Carolina. September-October 1997, Natural Health