What Are the Benefits of Using Curcumin?
The spice turmeric contains an active chemical compound known as curcumin, which has been found use in herbal medicine for over 4,000 years, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Even today, modern natural medical practitioners recommend the herb for the treatment of many conditions.
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Function
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Herbalists credit curcumin with lowering levels of chemicals in your body that contribute to inflammation, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center. Curcumin is also an antioxidant, a type of nutrient believed to remove from your body harmful particles that contribute to cancer and other diseases.
Uses
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Reported uses of curcumin by herbalists include the treatment of indigestion, colitis, stomach ulcers, osteoarthritis, hardening of the arteries, cancer, diabetes and uveitis or inflammation of your eye. Herbalists also use curcumin for treating jaundice, hepatitis, diarrhea, fibromyalgia and headaches, according to RxList.com.
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Clinical Evidence
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A 2005 research study conducted at the Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and published in the journal "Clinical Cancer Research" found that curcumin slowed the growth of breast cancer in laboratory mice and also prevented the spread of the cancer to distant sites in the animals' bodies.
Expert Insight
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Although clinical evidence supports the use of curcumin for cancer, research has only included animal test subjects, and it is unknown whether the effects of curcumin are similar in humans, explains the University of Maryland Medical Center.
Considerations
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Although curcumin is safe for most people, women who are pregnant or nursing, people with gall bladder disease or those scheduled for surgery within two weeks should not take curcumin despite its possible benefits, cautions RxList.
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