turmeric

[Guest guest]

From a separate group .... seems to be rather informative and includes

bibliographic references.

> Reply-to: Mr_s_Corner

> ==========================================

> Thanks. I mentioned that turmeric is also used for preventing

> scarring escharotic treatments. Sounds like good stuff to have on

> hand especially for hepatitis.

> > A REMARKABLE REMEDY THAT'S SITTING UNDISCOVERED IN YOUR

> > KITCHEN CABINET

> >

> > If you've ever eaten Indian food you'll never forget the color, smell

and

> > taste of curry. Curry is actually a combination of spices, one of which

is

> > turmeric (Curcuma longa). The compound, curcumin, is responsible for

the

> > yellowish-orange color and

> > distinctive smell of turmeric. Curcumin is more than just a simple

> pigment,

> > however. It is a very potent medicinal remedy with a wide variety of

uses,

> > some of which we've only discovered in the last few years.

> > Turmeric has been used for centuries in India and China. It is most

> notable

> > in the treatment of liver and gallbladder problems. It stimulates the

flow

> > of bile from the gallbladder. The Chinese have also found it can be

> > extremely effective in cases of viral hepatitis.

> > Powdered turmeric was used to treat 33 patients with viral hepatitis (22

> > acute and 11 chronic). During a one-month period, 21 patients became

> totally

> > symptom-free and liver function studies returned to normal levels in 18

of

> > the patients. Turmeric was especially effective at eliminating jaundice,

> > relieving pain, and reducing the size of the diseased liver (Chinese

> Herbal

> > Medicines, Zhong Yao Xue, Hong Kong, Commercial Press 1975). If you've

> ever

> > suffered from viral hepatitis or know of someone who has, you understand

> > that results like these are

> > astounding. Orthodox medicine should have such a successful and

> inexpensive

> > treatment.

> > Researchers in India recently have informed us that turmeric's action on

> the

> > gallbladder and liver can also have a profound effect on blood lipid

> levels.

> > In Amala Nagar, Trichur, India, 10 healthy adults were given 500

> milligrams

> > of curcunun daily. Afler only seven days, total serum cholesterol

dropped

> > 11.63%. The beneficial form of cholesterol HDL increased a remarkable

29%!

> > Even more astounding, the serum lipid peroxides (the oxidized or rancid

> > blood fats that cause damage to interior arterial walls leading to

> > atherosclerosis and heart disease) decreased 33% (Indian JPhysiol Pharm

> > 92;36(4):273-5).

> > Researchers at the National Taiwan University in Taipei confirmed the

> above

> > results and told us that turtneric and its active ingredient curcuniin

bad

> > the ability to " prevent pathological changes to blood vessels in

> > atherosclerosis and restenosis. " The use of something as simple and

> > inexpensive as turmeric could have enormous implications following

> > procedures like balloon angioplasty.

> > [balloon angioplasty involves the use of a plastic tube with a small

> > balloon-like bladder attached to the end. The tube is inserted in the

> blood

> > vessel until the bladder is located in the the blockage area. It is then

> > inflated so that the plaque is flattened against the arterial wall. In

> about

> > one-third of the patients the plaque simply expands and closes the

artery

> > again (restenosis) within six months. (Consumption of four to five grams

> of

> > fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids) a day also has been shown to reduce the

> > incidence of restenosis. At this dosage, the restenosis rate can

generally

> > be reduced by one-third (Arch intern Med

> > 93;153:1595-1 601).]

> > The simple addition of turmeric and fish oil capsules to the diet afler

> each

> > balloon angioplasty would cost less than $300 a year, yet save this

> country

> > billions of dollars and thousands of lives each year.

> > Alcohol extracts of Curcunun, the active ingredient in turmeric, also

have

> > been found to be just as effective as cortisone in treating acute

> > inflammation. The extracts exhibit no adverse side effects (mt J Clin

> > Pharmacol Ther Toxicol 86;24(12):651-4).

> > ln India and the Far East, thousands of arthritics rely on turmeric's

> > anti-inflammatory ability to control their disease. The dosage we saw

was

> > roughly a teaspoon of the powder per day. (Best results were achieved

when

> > the teaspoon was divided into two or three equal doses and taken in the

> > morning, at noon and before bedtime. To make it easier to take it can be

> > mixed with either food or some type of juice or nectar.)

> >

> > The ancient practice of topically applying turmeric for strains,

sprains,

> > muscle aches and joint pain recently has opened up a whole new area of

> > research. A successful folk remedy in India is made with paste of

> turmeric,

> > a little powdered lime and saltpeter. (Another recipe for

> topically-applied

> > paste calls for 2 tablespoons of turmeric powder and 1 tablespoon of

lime

> > juice. To this mixture a small amount of boiling water is added to help

> form

> > a uniform thick paste. The paste is then applied to the painful area and

> > held in place with either cheese cloth or plastic food wrap. This same

> paste

> > is used in India to successfully treat skin lesions resulting from

herpes,

> > ringworm, insect bites, leprosy and chickenpox.)

> > Recently an alcoholic extract of turmeric and an ointment of curcumin

> > provided remarkable symptomatic relief to 62 patients with external

> > cancerous lesions. When applied topically the foul odor was reduced

> > dramatically in 90% of the patients. Itching was reduced in all

patients,

> > 70% experienced a drying of the lesions and 10% actually had a reduction

> in

> > the size of the cancer. Surprisingly, even after the applications were

> > discontinued, the positive effects continued for several months. Only

one

> of

> > the 62 patients experienced any adverse effects with the treatment

(Tumori

> > 87; 73(1):29-31).

> > In India we also learned how a paste made from turmeric and neem was

used

> to

> > treat 814 patients with scabies. Some were cured totally within just

three

> > days. Within 15 days there was a 97% cure rate. (Publisher's note: For a

> > comprehensive report on neem see Vol.5, No. 8, the February 1994 issue.)

> > Rutgers University, in New Jersey, recently has shown an interest in the

> > topical healing powers of turmeric and has started to conduct formal

> > clinical studies. Work in Europe has been underway for some time. At the

> > University of Oslo, in Norway, researchers have found that when turmeric

> is

> > irradiated with visible light, very low concentrations become extremely

> > toxic to the bacteria Salmonella typhiinurium (the main cause of food

> > poisoning) and Escherichia coli (often responsible for diarrhea,

> dysentery,

> > food poisoning, urinary tract infections and occasionally blood

> poisoning).

> > Turmeric may prove to be a potent photosensitizing agent in phototherapy

> > treatment of psoriasis, cancer and bacterial and viral infections

(JPharm

> > Sci 87:76(5) :371-3).

> > In recent animal studies, Indian researchers have found that turmeric

and

> > its active ingredient can inhibit cancer. Not only can it help prevent

> > cancer

> > formation in the first place, it also inhibits progression in both the

> early

> > and advanced stages. It has even been found to be toxic to cancer cells

of

> > bone marrow leukemia (J Am Coil Nutr 92;11(2):192-8) (Carcinogenesis 93;

> > 14(3):493-6).

> > Turmeric seems to be surprisingly potent and effective at even low

> dosages.

> > Comparative doses to those taken in the above studies would be somewhere

> in

> > the range of 680 milligrams a day for a 150-pound individual. (The

average

> > daily adult intake in India is estimated at 400 milligrams.) Higher

doses

> > were taken in another Indian study involving 16 chronic smokers. They

took

> > 1.5 grams (1,500 milligrams) a day for 30 days. In every case those on

the

> > turmeric had reduced urinary excretion of mutagens, while there was no

> > change in the control patients.

> > Most of the recent studies dealing with the prevention of cancer through

> > diet have dealt with antioxidants. Although turmeric is a strong

> antioxidant

> > and free radical scavenger, it also possesses amazing anti-inflammatory,

> > anti-mutagenic and other protective powers.

> > Turmeric is considered very safe. As with most herbal treatments,

> > traditional healers recommend using it cautiously during pregnancy. It

> also

> > has a tendency to increase the activity of the stomach lining, which

could

> > increase acid production. This could be a definite benefit in some

> > individuals and somewhat of an irritant to others.

> > Turmeric can be found in most grocery stores, a few health food stores

and

> > ordered in bulk through the mail. If you have access to an Indian market

> or

> > grocery store I'm sure you can easily find it there. A few mail order

> > sources include: Bazaar of India Imports Inc., 1810 University Avenue,

> > Berkeley, CA 94703-1516, at 1(510)5484110; Grandma's Spice Shop, P.O.

Box

> > 472, Odenton, MD 21113 at 1(410) 672-0933 or Penn Herb Co., 603 N. 2nd

> > Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123 at 1(800)523-9971.

> > We ran across a couple of additional ~ for turmeric that may also prove

> > useful.

> > The powder can be sprinlded directly on the skin to treat things like

> diaper

> > rash, pimples, skin ulcers, psoriasis and eczema. A little coconut oil

> also

> > can be added before applying to the skin.

> > It's nice to have a simple spice that can protect the heart and

arteries,

> > help prevent and stop cancer, treat a variety of skin problems, stop

joint

> > pain and muscle aches and fight acute inflammation better than

cortisone.

> It

> > 's icing on the cake to know it can be purchased in bulk for less than

$10

> a

> > pound. Best of all, the FDA isn't trying to take it off the market..

..not

> > yet, anyway!

> >

> > (Dr. ; Alternatives)

> >

> >