Article By: HEI Wellness
Name: Turmeric (english) | Kunyit (Malay) | 黄姜 (chinese)
Scientific name: Curcuma Longa
Traditionally turmeric is used as spice, condiment, flavouring and as well as traditional medicine. As a food, turmeric is very popular among many South Asian recipes. Turmeric possesses sharp and distinct aroma, it has orange yellow colouring properties which made it an important part of Malaysian kitchen recipes such as “Nyonya Food” and some Malaysia’s popular dishes such as “Rendang” and curry of the Indians.
As a traditional medicine, turmeric was listed in more than two hundred and fifty medicinal treaties dating back 3,000 B.C. including the Sanskrit Medical Dissertation. It is also widely used in Ayurvedic healing system to treat a wide variety of ailments, including digestive disorders, fever, infections, arthritis, and dysentery, as well as jaundice and other problems associated to the liver. Turmeric is also featured prominently in the Chinese Medicine to treat liver ailments, congestion, and bleeding.
Phyto-Chemicals & Therapeutic use:
Turmeric possesses one of the most potent anti-inflammatory phyto-chemical compound known as “Curcumin”. Curcumin has many therapeutic values and has been effectively applied in clinical usage. On going clinical studies are focusing in the areas of:
- Anti-inflammatory
- Anti-oxidant
- Anti-carcinogen
- Induce Apoptosis
- Cell cycle regulation
- Anti-angiogenesis & metastasis
Preliminary clinical studies showed curcumin was effective in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory eye diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic pancreatitis, psoriasis, hyperlipidemia, gastric ulcer and cancer. (Aggarwal B.B., 2003)(Gaurisankar S. and Tanya D., 2008)(Hatcher H., 2008)(Hsu C.H., 2007)(Julie S.J., MT, 2009)
Side-Effects & Toxicity:
Consuming turmeric as a food preparation is very safe and no side effects and toxicity had been reported. Toxicity studies of whole turmeric and curcumin done on rats with doses normally consumed and at much higher doses (1.25-125 times) than normal human intake did not cause any adverse effect. (Sambainah K. et al, 1982) Similar results were observed on human clinical trial. (Prucsunand C. et al, 1987)
References:
Aggarwal BB, Kumar A, Bharti AC. Anticancer potential of curcumin: preclinical and clinical studies. Anticancer Res. 2003 Jan-Feb;23(1A):363-98.
Gaurisankar Sa and Tanya Das. Anti-cancer effects of curcumin: cycle of life and death. Cell Devision 2008, 3:14
Hatcher H, Planalp R, Cho J, Torti FM, Torti SV. Curcumin: from ancient medicine to current clinical trials. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2008 Jun;65(11):1631-52.
Hsu CH, Cheng AL. Clinical studies with curcumin. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:471-80.
Julie S. Jurenka, MT. Anti-inflammatory Properties of Curcumin, a Major Constituents of Curcuma longa: A review of Preclinical and Clinical Research. Alternative Medicine Review. Volume 14, Number 2, 2009.
Prucksunand C, Wimolwattanapun S, Nilvises N, Prijavudhi A, Wannavirakul B. Effects of the long turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn) on blood chemistry before and afterfour week period of treatment. Mahidol Univ Annual Research Abstracts and Bibliography of Non Formal Publication 1987;14:159.
Ricky A. Sharma, Stephanie A. Euden, Sharon L. Platton, Darren N. Cooke, Aisha Shafayat, Heather R. Hewitt, Timothy H. Marczylo, Bruno Morgan, David Hemingway, Simon M. Plummer, Munir Pirmohamed Andreas J. Gescher, and William P. Steward. Phase I Clinical Trial of Oral Curcumin Biomarkers of Systemic Activity and Compliance. Clin Cancer Res October 15, 2004 10;684.
Sambainah K, Ratankumar S, Kamanna VS, Satyanarayana MN, Rao MVL. Influence of turmeric and curcumin on growth, blood constituents and serum enzymes in rats. J Food Sci Technol 1982; 19(5):187-90.
Phyto-Chemicals & Therapeutic use:
Turmeric possesses one of the most potent anti-inflammatory phyto-chemical compound known as “Curcumin”. Curcumin has many therapeutic values and has been effectively applied in clinical usage. On going clinical studies are focusing in the areas of:
- Anti-inflammatory
- Anti-oxidant
- Anti-carcinogen
- Induce Apoptosis
- Cell cycle regulation
- Anti-angiogenesis & metastasis
Preliminary clinical studies showed curcumin was effective in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory eye diseases, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic pancreatitis, psoriasis, hyperlipidemia, gastric ulcer and cancer. (Aggarwal B.B., 2003)(Gaurisankar S. and Tanya D., 2008)(Hatcher H., 2008)(Hsu C.H., 2007)(Julie S.J., MT, 2009)
Side-Effects & Toxicity:
Consuming turmeric as a food preparation is very safe and no side effects and toxicity had been reported. Toxicity studies of whole turmeric and curcumin done on rats with doses normally consumed and at much higher doses (1.25-125 times) than normal human intake did not cause any adverse effect. (Sambainah K. et al, 1982) Similar results were observed on human clinical trial. (Prucsunand C. et al, 1987)
References:
Aggarwal BB, Kumar A, Bharti AC. Anticancer potential of curcumin: preclinical and clinical studies. Anticancer Res. 2003 Jan-Feb;23(1A):363-98.
Gaurisankar Sa and Tanya Das. Anti-cancer effects of curcumin: cycle of life and death. Cell Devision 2008, 3:14
Hatcher H, Planalp R, Cho J, Torti FM, Torti SV. Curcumin: from ancient medicine to current clinical trials. Cell Mol Life Sci. 2008 Jun;65(11):1631-52.
Hsu CH, Cheng AL. Clinical studies with curcumin. Adv Exp Med Biol. 2007;595:471-80.
Julie S. Jurenka, MT. Anti-inflammatory Properties of Curcumin, a Major Constituents of Curcuma longa: A review of Preclinical and Clinical Research. Alternative Medicine Review. Volume 14, Number 2, 2009.
Prucksunand C, Wimolwattanapun S, Nilvises N, Prijavudhi A, Wannavirakul B. Effects of the long turmeric (Curcuma longa Linn) on blood chemistry before and afterfour week period of treatment. Mahidol Univ Annual Research Abstracts and Bibliography of Non Formal Publication 1987;14:159.
Ricky A. Sharma, Stephanie A. Euden, Sharon L. Platton, Darren N. Cooke, Aisha Shafayat, Heather R. Hewitt, Timothy H. Marczylo, Bruno Morgan, David Hemingway, Simon M. Plummer, Munir Pirmohamed Andreas J. Gescher, and William P. Steward. Phase I Clinical Trial of Oral Curcumin Biomarkers of Systemic Activity and Compliance. Clin Cancer Res October 15, 2004 10;684.
Sambainah K, Ratankumar S, Kamanna VS, Satyanarayana MN, Rao MVL. Influence of turmeric and curcumin on growth, blood constituents and serum enzymes in rats. J Food Sci Technol 1982; 19(5):187-90.
