Turmeric Demonstrates Anti-Cancer Potential

The following is a post I found very interesting, sent to me by Oliver over at innergateacupuncture.com.  Check it out!


Turmeric is an herb is from Southeast Asia where it has been used as a home remedy and a cooking ingredient.  It is the bright root responsible for yellow curries.  Turmeric has been used both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicinal systems for centuries.  Acupuncturists and Chinese herbalists refer to the root as Jiang Huang, “yellow ginger”.  The herb has recently gained popularity as a natural anti-inflammatory agent that can help with arthritis and muscle strain.  However, the potential of this herb may be much greater and it may have a future fighting cancers. 

Curcumin is the active compound found in the turmeric plant that gives the plant its medicinal qualities.  Much research has been directed at finding out what makes curcumin beneficial and which aliments can benefit from its use. 

Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant.  Antioxidants are compounds that protect our cells from oxidative damage by scavenging and destroying free radicals.  By reducing cell damage curcumin interferes with cancer’s ability to grow and replicate and slows cancers spread. 

Research is generally done only on purified curcumin and not on the whole turmeric root.  The majority of the studies have been done on animal subjects.  In these studies, curcumin has demonstrated potent anti-cancer effects.  In rodents, curcumin blocked the formation of cancer cells after a specific carcinogenic enzyme was applied.  Curcumin has also been shown to kill certain cancer cells in Petri dishes and reduce the growth rate of the surviving cells.  It has also demonstrated the ability to reduce the size of some animal tumors. 

Research on human subjects has also shown promising results.  It has been shown to inhibit cell communication and signaling of cancer cells thus slowing their growth and potential for metastasis. It has even demonstrated an ability to encourage apoptosis or cell death in some cancer cells. 

The types of cancers that researches believe will benefit the most from turmeric are esophageal, intestinal, breast, skin, stomach, and colon cancers.  In fact, curcumin has been shown to absorb directly into cancerous tissue in the colon and intestines. 

While all of this research is promising more work needs to be done.  Particularly more human studies are needed to substantiate these preliminary studies.  Meanwhile, we may want to add some delicious yellow curries to our diets.