Studies claim turmeric (jianghuang) may lower cancer risk

[attilio]

Hi all,

Taken from: http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080205/HEALTH/802050309

Turmeric (jianghuang), a spice used for thousands of years in Indian Chinese cooking and medicine, is from a rhizome in the ginger family.

The rhizome is boiled for hours and then dried in ovens and ground. It has a deep orange color that can stain easily and has, therefore, been used as a textile dye throughout history.

Interest in this spice has risen dramatically in the United States in recent years in part for the flavor, but also because of research into its anti-inflammatory properties. Observational studies indicate that in areas where turmeric is widely used in food preparation incidences of certain cancers are lower than in other areas of the world.

Animal studies are now being conducted using the ingredient curcumin, the active ingredient in turmeric. Curcumin only makes up about 3-5 percent by weight of turmeric so heavy use of turmeric would be necessary to achieve the studied benefits. Many of the studies being conducted use amounts of about 480 mg of curcumin.

Dietary supplements of curcumin are very popular in Asia and are used for stomach ailments. Supplement sales in the United States rose 35 percent from 2004 to 2005. In most studies being conducted an injectable form is being used because curcumin in large amounts is not well absorbed through the intestinal system.

[Karen Vaughan]

I found some literature several years ago stating that adding 5% freshly ground pipalli long pepper or black pepper will allow powdered turmeric to act as effectively as the curcumin.

In my clinic I have patients put together a pound of turmeric, an ounce and a half of black pepper and an ounce or dried ginger, and stir them into honey until it makes a stiff paste. They eat one to two teaspoons per day for all manner of inflammatory disease.

The most dramatic effect was in one spleen zu, phlem excess, yin deficient patient with orange-sized lipomas on her arm, probably the result of Derkum's disease, an autoimmune condition. Within 8 months the tumors had decreased to half of their size, significantly relieving pain.