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Curcumin ( turmeric root )

If you're diagnosed with a dangerous cancer that's frequently fatal and you tell your doctor you'd like to try treating it with a spice, you'll probably be met with a blank stare.

In fact, this spice might work.

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To be honest, we're not technically talking about a spice.

Curcumin is a pigment in turmeric root, an herb in the ginger family. Curry gets its spicy flavor from curcumin, which has been used for centuries by Indian Ayurvedic healers to treat indigestion, arthritis, and urinary tract disorders.

More recently we've seen growing evidence that curcumin may also fight cancer.

Cancer researcher Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D., believes that life-long curcumin intake may explain why the cancer mortality rate is unusually low in Sri Lanka where the typical diet delivers curcumin on a daily basis. According to Dr. Moss, curcumin is a natural anti- inflammatory, rich in antioxidants, and curbs tumor growth by inhibiting the development of tiny blood vessels that tumors require to thrive.

In recent years, curcumin research has advanced from the laboratory (in a 2005 study curcumin prompted melanoma cancer cells to self-destruct), to animal studies (last year, curcumin was found to inhibit tumor growth in mice while also enhancing the effects of radiation therapy), and finally to a human trial in which this spicy root extract was tested in 25 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer – a disease that's almost always fatal.

I can't help but wonder why researchers at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas chose to test curcumin against such an aggressive cancer. Perhaps they intended to set the bar high so that virtually any successful response would show they were on the right track.

And they did get a successful response. Modest, but successful.

Each subject was given eight grams of Curcumin C3 Complex daily. Blood tests showed that bioavailability of the extract appears to be poor when given orally. But despite the limited absorption, the extract prompted clear biological activity in two subjects.

In one of the subjects, the disease stabilized for more than 18 months. The second subject had "a brief, but marked, tumor regression."

While curcumin obviously didn't produce a striking success, researchers say the extract appeared to exert a potent activity against a particularly virulent cancer, indicating that higher levels of curcumin need to be achieved. Further curcumin research is currently underway at the Anderson Center.

For their ongoing curcumin research, the Anderson team uses Curcumin C3 Complex, a turmeric root extract product, standardized for 95 percent of three curcuminoids. This product is manufactured by Sabinsa, a New Jersey company that has produced phytonutrients and herbal extracts for many years. You can find sources for Curcumin C3 Complex through several Internet sites.
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Avatar universal
Hi Sunes,
I also had a similar reaction to turmeric. I had diarrhoea and lower abdominal cramps. actually, I'm still suffering from this. i stopped it as soon as i realised this was causing it, but its been a few days now and I'm still getting diarrhoea and cramps. I'm taking tablets to stop the diarrhoea, which is working. but i can't stay on the tablets always. I'm starting to get really worried now, worried that my digestive system has really been upset by it and I'm waiting for it to stop. how long did it take for the diarrhoea to go away for you?
thanks,
Zoe
Helpful - 0
500238 tn?1255131214
Evidence and facts are two different things.  So are prevention and cure.  You may be correct in that there is a low cancer rate because of curcumin, but preventive care is far different from cure.  Once you are past the prevention point, cure often requires different means of treating, and one study is not enough to prove anything.

"Cancer researcher Ralph W. Moss, Ph.D., believes that life-long curcumin intake may explain why the cancer mortality rate is unusually low in Sri Lanka where the typical diet delivers curcumin on a daily basis."

Note the wording, "May explain."  Good legal words for him to use since it doesn't bind him to anything and he can't be held accountable with those words.  Well you may want to research exactly who Ralph Moss is.

According to http://www.cancerdecisions.com this is the information about Ralph Moss.

"The medical writer Ralph W. Moss, PhD, has written or edited twelve books and three film documentaries, mostly on the question of cancer research and treatment. He is a graduate of New York City public schools, New York University (BA, *** laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1965) and Stanford University (MA, 1973, PhD, 1974, Classics). The former science writer and assistant director of public affairs at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York (1974-1977), for over 30 years Moss has independently evaluated the claims of various cancer treatments, conventional and nonconventional. He currently directs The Moss Reports, a periodically updated library of detailed reports on 200+ varieties of cancer diagnoses. Although not a medical doctor, he is noted for his critical acumen and is listed in Marquis Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in HealthCare, etc.

Notice that at no time does it state what his field his Bachelor of Art's, Master of Arts or PhD is in?  Also notice that he worked for Sloan-kettering Cancer Center in New York from 1974 to 1977 a total of three years (not much) and immediately says afterward "for over 30 years" trying to fool you into thinking those dates are 30 years at Sloan-Kettering?  You think this was a mistake or was it an attempt to fool your brain since I too actually missed that the first time and had to read it twice to realize it was only three years!!  Not only that did you catch the part that while at Sloan Kettering for that great amount of time of three years, he was hired as "assistant director of public affairs."  Hmmm, so he was the assistant to the guy in charge of relaying the information to the general public/media that was given to him by doctors and other medical staff?

Do you really want to take advice from someone whose profile is so vague as to what he graduated in and actually tries to fool you with tricks of the brain?  What they do state is that he is a "Medical Writer."  Hmmm I can think of a few other men who I would consider medical writers.  Names such as Robin Cook, Michael Palmer, Don Donaldson, etc.  This does not qualify them as cancer researchers.  Might they know a lot about medicine?  Most likely.  Does it qualify them to treat specific cancers or treat specific ailments, I don't think so.  Although, they are all great writers and I love their books.

Before you take anyone's word, research the person and ask yourself why they are leaving so much information out about themselves, and if they are so interested in medicine why they didn't graduate in that field.  Why become a medical writer or public affairs assistant if you wanted to be a doctor or researcher?

Medical writers may put theories out there but it's the actually physicians who do the testing of those theories and therefore will have the most valuable information.  Please research these people before taking anyone's word.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
My reaction was bloating and diarrhea almost right away. I tried to build up from using small dose but no luck.
I will try again though,  maybe with little amount of food each time.
Helpful - 0
150595 tn?1204149758
Thank you for the info, Sunes....yes...i use it a lot but not in a big amount.....why does a lot of people get reaction from it i wonder?......and what kind of reaction...and is there anythng to do about that....like take in very small amounts many times a day...would that be profitable?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
I have never seen turmeric root as a whole.Just powder form. You can ask in you Natural Food store if the ever had root form.
I started with small dose 100mg 3 times a day and  I had a mild reaction almost right away. Stayed on that dose for more than a week and when I upted my dose to 200 mg 3 x day that's when I realized this was the reason I was not feeling good.
Lowered my dose to 200 mg a day and it was the same..no change. So I had to quit .
The dose to kill cancer cells apparently is 1500 mg a day if you can stand this dose. You can also use as a spice on your food in any amount.
Helpful - 0
150595 tn?1204149758
can one make curcumin work at a lower dosage....and where can i buy the turmerica root....?
Helpful - 0
150595 tn?1204149758
how much does one have to take to be of any use to the immune system or healing purposes of cancer....and if its giving side effects what does one do as another alternative....please help
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Sorry it took me so long to answer.
Every time I took capules 500 mg, 1 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon I had upset stomach and runs.After a day or two had itchy skin on my arms.Lower the dose It was same.
Helpful - 0
535822 tn?1443976780
What reaction do you mean you had?  I use Turmeric in Rice and with curry, how much each day is good?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
On many occassions I tried "Curcumin" which is pure turmeric for my cancer and had reaction to it.
I was eliminating all supplements and finally realised that it was turmeric. After 4 or 5 trials I quit using it alltohether.
It is great spice for treating inflammation also.
Take care, Sunes.
Helpful - 0

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