[YEA]  05/24/2008: Carol from Phoenix, AZ: "It really works! After trying everything I could get my hands on, and six days of constant diarrhea, I tried the turmeric - and within hours I am back on track. Thanks for saving me the Doctor bills. I used one teaspoon in an 8 oz glass of warm water. Had to hold my nose to get it down but it was worth it."

10/12/2011: Elvira from Barrie, Ontario, Canada replies: "I tried tumeric as suggested: 1 spoon in a glass of water on empty stomach. I had nothing else but trouble. Pain, upset stomach, heartburn. I did a bit of research and that's exactly what tumeric's side effects are. So, before you start taking it, read: www.tumericsideeffects.org
Good luck!"

10/13/2011: Sindee from Santa Cruz, Ca replies: "I have taken tumeric with a glass of warm milk for heartburn which I used to get often. Almond milk actually works much better and goat milk is the best."

[BETTER BUT NOT CURED]  03/19/2012: Yukoncorleone from Binghamton, NY, United States: "Hello, I was recently diagnosed with folliculitis over my whole body and Eczema on my hands and feet by my dermatoligist and I'm exploring some natural remidies. For a while I thought it was only Eczema over my entire body, but my Dermatoligst seems to think I have two separate conditons. So far I've tried the oral and topical steroids, topical antibiotics, and they seemed to work while I was using it, but as soon as I ran out it got bad again.

I have taken the ACV (apple cider vineager) with the mother in it (when I thought it was just Eczema), but stopped for a while after I got a stomach bug and had diareaha and vomiting and couldn't stomach the AVC. I'm now back on it for two days now (using 1-2 tsp in water 2-3 times a day according to back of the bottle) and now I'm also trying powdered Turmeric 1 tsp in a glass of warm water or sometimes in orange juice 2-3 times a day.

I'm only on day 2 of this, and I think I'm noticing some benfits. I don't itch as bad, the Eczema doesn't seem as raised or as irritated, and the red bumps from my folliculitis are not as pronounced and bright as they can sometimes get.

My question is this; I've read that Turmeric isn't that readily absorbed into the system and that you should take black pepper with it. If I'm taking 1tsp of powdered Turmeric in a glass of warm water how much black pepper should I add to it? Please advise, I want to make sure I'm getting the most out of the Turmeric as I can."

03/19/2012: Gitanamericana from Bristol, Avon replies: "Hi, there, a pinch of pepper should do the trick, it's a very abrassive compound, however you ought to look at your diet( if you haven't already) you can get food sensitivity tests done, ( I would only reccomend you get the kit from germany... if you are interested I can pass on the website) any questions you can email me : pensamiento4[at]hotmail[dot]com."

03/19/2012: Sara from The Beach, Canada replies: "Just a pinch of pepper will do, and it is best to take turmeric with a fat as it is more soluble that way so take it in warm milk or coconut milk or almond milk with a little honey... One more thing, I don't know if you have this where you are but the only thing that has turned my hands and feet around is an ointment called Bag Balm. It is used by farmers for cows, but humans use it too, and I have to say it was soothing, calming, and healing from the first use. I hope this helps you, sara"

03/20/2012: Yukoncorleone from Binghamton, Ny, United States replies: "Thanks for the replies guys! Gitanamericana I sent you an e-mail so you can pass on that food sensitivity test website. I'm on day 3 now and my skin is the best it has felt in a while. Still have a lot of the marks the Eczema and Folliculitus have left and still itch a little here and there, but I assume I'm going to have to stick with the Turmeric for a while before I see a full recovery. My wife and I are now looking into recipes that use Turmeric and will try to eat more Indian-based food. Never really ate much of it before, but I don't mind the spice at all.

I never really got this reaction with the AVC alone, but now that I have added the Turmeric I am noticing significant changes. I'm trying not to get too exicited because I have been down this road before where I thought something was working and it turned out it really wasn't, but I will let all of you Earth Clinic'ers know how I progress as I continue this Turmeric treatment. Good luck to all the rest of you. Love this site it's the best."

03/20/2012: Maria from Gippsland, Australia replies: "Hi Yukoncorleone, You can also add it to tomato pasta sauces, soups and stews."

03/21/2012: Debbie from Melbourne, Australia replies: "I add tumeric to my scrambled eggs while they are cooking and also add black pepper to them. I also sprinkle tumeric on my roast chicken in the oven.. it adds a great taste to it."

03/21/2012: Indianchief from Fremont, Ca; Usa replies: "Turmeric for infection as well. I remember, my childhood in India, if I get hurt, mom used to put turmeric paste on wound. Also now if I have, bad cold/infection, I put turmeric in milk and in meal as well."

[YEA]  02/26/2009: Lisa from Coto de Caza, CA, USA: "Turmeric for Fatigue: I have Chronic Fatigue along with Mercury toxicity and started taking Turmeric for a tooth infection/ sensitive tooth. A GREAT side effect was energy! It only took a few days to get started. I take about 4 capsule in morning and 4 at lunch (homemade caps with turmeric from spice aisle). WARNING: Don't take before bed. I couldn't sleep for a few nights until I figured out it was giving me energy.

I love this stuff."

[YEA]  06/13/2009: Sandy from Bangalore, India replies: "I have started having turmeric and find that I have more energy. I took turmeric before bedtime yesterday (turmeric+honey+black pepper in milk), and found that I was cheery and awake till 2 am! Finally I fell into a deep sleep but was awake by 7.30 am. With lesser than 6 hours of sleep, I felt quite fresh. Turmeric is certainly energizing."

[YEA]  06/13/2009: Gean from Salina, KS replies: "I had the same experience, and so did two other people I know. For a few days (3 or 4) I felt great with only a few hours of sleep, and then I started to feel unwell and confused. My friend became irritable and emotional. I had to cut way down on the turmeric dosage. It must work as a stimulant, maybe. I started going up on the dosage again, and then when it started to keep me up at night (or wake me up at odd hours) I would take a break from it. Experiment to see how much you can take without losing sleep. Believe me, it will catch up with you."

[BETTER BUT NOT CURED]  01/20/2009: Rapha7 from Mytown, Usa: "Fibroid Tumor Remedy - Tumeric

I found out about 4 or 5 years ago that I have fibroids when having an ultrasound for something else, and over the course of that time my periods have gotten heavier, started having clots and experiencing cramps which I rarely ever got. During the heavy times I would go through a Ultra Plus tampon in 1 hour.

I don't remember if it was on EC or another site, but I read that the heavy bleeding was caused by inflammation (either the Uterus being inflammed or the fibroids)during periods and it mentioned taking Tumeric.

Someone on EC recommended Natto, and I tried that for a while, but didn't notice reduced bleeding. Then I added a sprinkling of Turmeric on the Natto. The bleeding was reduced some, but I thought it was the Natto. I ran out of Tumeric & continued with the Natto and since I didn't seem to be getting great results, and the Natto is 'Natso good' I stopped.

It wasn't until I read the article about inflammation & Tumeric, that I put 2 and 2 together & realized that what had reduced the bleeding when I was eating the Natto with Tumeric sprinkled on it was actually the Tumeric doing it's thing. To be sure, over the last couple of months I've been taking 1 large teaspoon of Tumeric in juice, at least twice a day when my period starts, & it's nothing short of a miracle. Now I can actually get 3 - 4 hours of solid sleep without having to worry about an accident. Before on heavy nights, I would sit up, so I wouldn't fall all the way to sleep, so I could get up every hour or hour and a half to change. During that time if I could get a solid 2 hours of sleep I was estatic.

Other remedies I tried was the Unsulphered Black Strap Molasses. It reduced the clots by around 90% and the iron definitely gave me an extra boost, as the heavy bleeding caused me to be anemic, but it did not reduce the bleeding.

I hope some of you ladies try this and get the results I have. Although it's not a cure, it helps make the fibroid situation bearable. Lastly, the Tumeric is bitter, but well worth the results."

09/07/2011: Kerrstarr from Walnut Creek, Ca, Usa: "HI. I notice everyone talking about using turmeric powder, but I'm really curious about using fresh turmeric. Is there better bio-availability from fresh? If so, how much fresh should I use compared with powdered herb?

I guess this question leads me into other questions about herbs as well. My intuition tells me that I'm generally better off using fresh if and when I can. Am I correct in thinking this?

Also, I get that some herbs are not necessarily water soluble, so would be more effective in a carrier medium. I'm not opposed to making my own tinctures. I'm guessing that with fresh herbs, the oil/water solubility thing is less of an issue. But in the use of dried, how do I determine which herbs are better used as a tea, and which as a tincture? I realize that this is a pretty big question, and maybe I should have broken it down into 3 or 4.... Does anyone know where to find this type of information, other than years and years of study?

(I'm having terrible allergies after relocating form across the country to a totally different climate, and kind of wanted a quick answer about turmeric, but this leads into my general questions about herbs, so I had to ask....)

Thanks!"

09/07/2011: Rob from Manhattan, Ny replies: "There seems to be a growing consensus that Turmeric is generally poorly absorbed and that added Piperine (black pepper) enhances it's absorption. We're seeing more Turmeric products with this addition.

In terms of flavor and cooking, fresh Turmeric and Ginger both possess large differences over the dried versions... With Fresh often preferred for it's more complex flavor. I don't know if the therapeutic value is any greater... the general rule for Turmeric is 1/2 tsp dried for 1 inch of the fresh root or 1tsp fresh minced root."

09/08/2011: Lee from New York, Usa replies: "To Rob from Manhattan, I'm looking for a good naturopath in NYC. Would you have any recommendations? Thanks so much. Lee"

09/08/2011: Rob from Manhattan, Ny replies: "sorry Lee, I don't know of any good Naturopaths..

however Dr. Zhang comes highly recommended for diseases such as Lyme or Hepatitis and autoimmune diseases....

http://www.sinomedresearch.org/drz.htm

best, to ask as many people as possible... Sometimes asking around at your local health stores is a good idea... if you get more than a few recommending the same person then it may be a good lead...."

09/09/2011: Lee from New York, Usa replies: "Hi Rob, Thanks for the speedy reply. I live in NY only part time right now, but will be there full time in a few months. So I don't have a good health food store either - I still rely on the ones in my hometown. If you have any thoughts on good ones in the city I'd be very grateful. Thanks very much. Lee"

11/21/2011: Ollytempe from Px, Arizona replies: "Kerrstarr- It is all relative to each individual herb. Some herb contain the desired constituents when fresh and others when dried. As far as solubility, this depends on the chemical profile of the herb and which constituents you desire to extract. Different menstruums (carriers) may include water, alcohol, oil, and glycerite.

When preparing Turmeric, water and alcohol are suitable menstruums. Dried is the traditional way its used but some recent companies do tincture (alcohol) it fresh at 45% alcohol at a ratio of 1:1. I could not find a reference to the ethanol percentage used when tincturing dry but from the looks of it i'd say anywhere from 30-40% would be suitable at a ratio of 1:2 (Alcohol:herb). Turmeric may also be used in a decoction (boiling herb in water).

When studying herbs it is best to buy books from trusted herbalist and study one herb at a time. Each is unique in its own way.

-Daniel, Herbalist"

12/30/2011: Maryanne from Winthrop, Massachusetts replies: "You could check bulkherbstore. Com, or mountainroseherbs.com. Both have extensive articles and other info, as well as an online store. Good luck!"

[YEA]  05/13/2013: Steve from Cleveland, Ohio, United States: "I understand that everyone is unique and someone may be adversely affected by anything. I can't recall ever hearing of turmeric causing any harm. My daughter, who is in poor health, diabetic, blind etc. Never took care of herself and took the toxic poisons her doctor prescribed, developed gout in her foot, which turned into osteomyelitis, and MRSA, and gangrene which became life threatening. A doctor who I can't name insisted that part of her foot must be removed or she would die of the infection. I had reached a point of frustraion with the so called medical field that I cannot begin to describe. I literally researched 24-7 for natural remedies and for my daughters specific case, came up with the following. "SOUP"! Any vegetable soup, 1 heaping teaspoon of Turmeric, 1 heaping teaspoon of crushed oregano leaves, 1 medium to large "HEAD" of garlic sliced by hand no more than 1 hour prior to consumption (the allicin loses it's potency rather quickly), 1/8 cup of freshly ground golden flax seed (all organic). This was eaten every day! Along with the soup, she used oil of oregano 4 drops in a little water 3 times a day, (70% carvacrol content). Be careful not to slosh the water around so the oil stays pooled in one place. Drink it down quickly without disturbing the oil, it is very spicy.

We also soaked her foot in hot water with lots of betadine for an hour a day. We fortunately found a doctor who was willing to work with us. A pic line was put in for antibiotic administration. The antibiotics that could be used were limited because my daughter had terrible reactions to many of them. We were told the antibiotic therapy, (if it worked at all), would take six months or longer. Within a month an MRI showed it wasn't gangrene any more but osteomyelitis. A couple of weeks later, it was gout, and MRSA. A month later her white blood cell count had gone down and the pic line was removed. She was on oral antibiotics for another month and then a topical ointment to heal the skin on her foot. As an aside, DON'T SMOKE! Smoking drastically reduces the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream and hampers healing. Most bad bugs are anaerobic and do not survive in the presence of adequate oxygen. No more MRSA, her primary doc stopped lisinopril ( it causes gout). Hope this helps someone. The BIBLE tells us, all plants are for food and for medicine, and it DOESN'T say, no salt."

05/13/2013: Bess from Calgary, Alberta, Canada replies: "Hi Steve from Cleveland - Your daughter is very blessed to have you as her dad! My diabetic brother went along with what the doctors said and had a partial amputation of his foot which led to other complications. This must be happening all the time. I have written down the ingredients for the soup - it sounds like it would be good for so many things. Thanks for sharing your story. I wish all the best for you and your family. Take care, Bess"

02/02/2012: Benghiman from La Houssiere, Vosges, France: "There is much on the subject of turmeric and its pros and cons. Turmeric is the base of curcumin - and it is curcumin that does the work.

Many clinical studies now say that curcumin may be useful for the prevention and treatment of several diseases, including cancer, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease. 500 mg Curcumin with 5 mg Piperine builds the immune system, is anti-tumor, antioxidant, antiarthritic, anti-amyloid, anti-ischemic and anti-inflammatory*.

Curcumin Has Biological and Medicinal Properties*

"All evidences accumulated so far clearly indicate that curcumin protects against cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes, the major ailments in the West. This natural remedy has also shown preventive as well as therapeutic effects against Alzheimer's disease, MS, cataract formation, AIDS and drug-induced nonspecific toxicity in the heart, lungs, and kidneys. Further testing of curcumin in humans is underway to confirm these observations. A clinical development plan for using curcumin to treat cancer was recently described by the NCI. Studies also show that in countries such as India, where curcumin is consumed on a regular basis, the profile of cancer incidence is very different to those regions that do not, such as in The West. How curcumin produces its therapeutic effects is not fully understood, but they are probably mediated in part through the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory action of curcumin. It is quite likely that curcumin mediates its effects through other mechanisms as well. Over a dozen different cellular proteins and enzymes have been identified to which curcumin binds. High- throughput ligand-interacting technology and microarray technology have begun to reveal more molecular targets and genes affected by curcumin."

This extract is taken from Curcumin Biological and Medicinal Properties. Authors: - Bharat B. Aggarwal, Indra D. Bhatt, Haruyo Ichikawa, Kwang Seok Ahn, Gautam Sethi, Santosh K. Sandur, Chitra Natarajan, Navindra Seeram, and Shishir Shishodia. July 2006. (With permission)

The following is an extract of an interview with Bharat B. Aggarwal, PhD, who is Professor and Chief of the Cytokine Research Section at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, where he currently holds the Ransom Horne, Jr. , Endowed Professorship in Cancer Research. He has published more than 500 original articles in peer-reviewed journals. This interview was published ©2009 Natural Medicine Journal 1(4), December 2009.

Q: Is it true that there are absorption issues with curcumin and that the dosage needs to be high to produce a therapeutic affect?

A: I think there is a bit of a misconception regarding the absorption and dosage of curcumin. Remember, curcumin is a dietary agent, not a drug. It should not be tested as a drug because if dosages reach the drug level, it could become toxic. We have found that curcumin is circulated quickly and is taken up by tissues very quickly. Within 10 to 20 minutes it is already in the brain. When it is tested as a drug, researchers are looking for curcumin in serum but they don't find it because it has already been taken up by tissues. In 2008, Marczylo and colleagues demonstrated that very little curcumin was found in plasma and urine in rats after they were given curcumin; however, curcumin was found in intestinal mucosa, as well as liver, kidney, and heart tissue.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins reported that as little as 500 mg of curcumin per day resulted in a 60 percent reduction in polyps, whereas Celebrex at the same dose, which is very cardiotoxic, only resulted in less than 30 percent reduction in polyps as shown by physicians at M. D. Anderson. If bioavailability were an issue, we would not see these results. We have cancer patients at M. D. Anderson who are just on curcumin. They don't have to be given chemotherapy or radiation, just curcumin alone, and we are witnessing significant results. There are more than 1,000 patients on curcumin right now at M. D. Anderson. Absorption of curcumin is not as big of an issue as people may think.

Turmeric has been used historically as a component of Indian Ayurvedic medicine since 1900 BC to treat a wide variety of ailments. Now research has identified curcumin as responsible for most of the biological activity of turmeric. In vitro studies have suggested a wide range of potential therapeutic or preventive effects associated with curcumin. Numerous clinical trials in humans are studying the effect of curcumin on various diseases including multiple myeloma, myelodysplastic syndromes, cancer, psoriasis, and Alzheimer's disease, among quite a lot of other problems

The medicinal properties of curcumin obtained from Curcuma longa L. Is reported by some, disputed by others, to be the cause of poor bioavailability due to its rapid metabolism in the liver and intestinal wall. In studies, the effect of combining piperine, a known inhibitor of hepatic and intestinal glucuronidation, was evaluated on the bioavailability of curcumin on healthy human volunteers. When curcumin was given alone to these volunteers after a dose of 2 g curcumin alone, serum levels were either undetectable or very low, due to its rapid absorption by the brain and body. Concomitant administration of piperine 20 mg produced much higher concentrations. The increase in bioavailability was 2000%. The study shows that in the dosages used, piperine enhances the serum concentration, extent of absorption and bioavailability of curcumin in humans with no adverse effects.

Studies suggest that curcumin may have anti-tumor, antioxidant, antiarthritic, anti-amyloid, anti-ischemic and anti-inflammatory properties. Anti-inflammatory properties may be due to inhibition of eicosanoid biosynthesis. In addition it may be effective in treating malaria, prevention of cervical cancer, and may interfere with the replication of the HIV virus. In HIV, it appears to act by interfering with P300/CREB-binding protein (CBP). It also prevents liver damage. A 2008 study at Michigan State University showed that low concentrations of curcumin interfere with Herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) replication. This effect was shown to be independent of effect on histone acetyltransferase activities of p300/CBP. A previous (1999) study performed at University of Cincinnati indicated that curcumin is significantly associated with protection from infection by HSV-2 in intravaginal infections.

Curcumin acts as a free radical scavenger and antioxidant, inhibiting lipid peroxidation and oxidative DNA damage. Curcuminoids induce glutathione S-transferase and are potent inhibitors of cytochrome P450.

A 2004 UCLA-Veterans Affairs study suggests that curcumin might inhibit the accumulation of destructive beta-amyloid in the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients and also break up existing plaques associated with the disease.

There is also circumstantial evidence that curcumin improves mental functions; a survey of 1010 Asian people who ate yellow curry and were between the ages of 60 and 93 showed that those who ate the sauce "once every six months" or more had higher MMSE results than those who did not.

Numerous studies have demonstrated that curcumin, amongst only a few other things such as high impact exercise, learning, bright light, and antidepressant usage, has a positive effect on neurogenesis in the hippocampus and concentrations of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), reductions in both of which are associated with stress, depression, and anxiety.

Many pre-clinical studies suggest that curcumin may be useful for the prevention and treatment of several diseases.

The Anticarcinogenic effects of curcumin are being shown on an increasing and, almost, daily rate!

Its potential anticancer effects stem from its ability to induce apoptosis in cancer cells without cytotoxic effects on healthy cells. Curcumin can interfere with the activity of the transcription factor NF-%u03BAB, which has been linked to a number of inflammatory diseases such as cancer.

A 2009 study suggests that curcumin may inhibit mTOR complex I via a novel mechanism.

Another 2009 study on curcumin effects on cancer states that curcumin "modulates growth of tumor cells through regulation of multiple cell signaling pathways including cell proliferation pathway (cyclin D1, c-myc), cell survival pathway (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, cFLIP, XIAP, c-IAP1), caspase activation pathway (caspase-8, 3, 9), tumor suppressor pathway death receptor pathway (DR4, DR5), mitochondrial pathways, and protein kinase pathway (JNK, Akt, and AMPK)".

Curcumin has recently been shown to have phyto-estrogenic activity that might contribute to anti-breast cancer activity. In the murine model of breast cancer metastasis, Curcumin inhibits the formation of lung metastases probably through the NF-kappa-B dependent regulation of pro-tumorigenic inflammatory cytokines.

We at Home Cures have had experience of our Curcumin Piperine being effective, in conjunction with Serrapeptase, in the control of fibromyalgia, also known as MS or ME. Also, in older people a remarkable "rejuvenation" is evident.

In short, with much clinical and usage evidence, curcumin has significant advantages over turmeric. If, as in India and some areas of China, where the diet is significantly curry based, thus a regular ingestion of curcumin is evident, the trumeric intake is continual it is a good thing. For us in the West, where the intake is almost insignificant, it is curcumin that is required.

Combine Surcumin with Serrapeptase 80,000iu and, according to one of my sources, 50% of all hospitals could be emptied!"

[YEA]  02/09/2008: Farhad from Canada, Ontario: "in the past few years my gums changed colour to a darker colour and my dentist told me my gums are receding my white teeth were yellow due to smoking .2 weeks ago i was told to use tumeric powder with my tooth paste when brushing since then my darker gum is changing colour to pink again in most spots and my teeth including 2front venirs are bright it strengtens gums and teeth but stains my hands only after brushing.no product did what a $2 tumeric powder has done for me.thank you."

10/20/2011: Sanjeev from Jalandhar Punjab- India replies: "Very good I suggest you that you can also mix some quantity of black peeper with turmeric for any type of tooth problem. Thanks"

02/01/2013: Denise from Seattle, Wa: "I was told by a woman fro Inida that in India they take tumeric with a heated glass of milk. It works and tastes great! Two or three tablespoons a day. Add Lecithin if you choose to."

02/06/2013: Yukoncorleone from Binghamton, Ny, United States replies: "2-3 Tablespoons a day? That seems like a lot. I take 1 tsp 2-3 times a day in warm milk when I notice my skin condition(s) flaring up, which in turn is mostly likley caused by my bad diet decisions."

08/27/2012: Kay from Destin, Fl replies: "Oh, and you you aren't that fond of mustard, you can hide a tsp or two in a cheese omlet or make deviled eggs without noticing it!"

08/27/2012: Kay from Destin, Fl replies: "I buy large jars (16 oz; 454 grams) of Tumeric at the Asian (Thai Food) store for only $7.99! My store keeper keeps the large jars in the restaurant supplies area, next to the large jars of curry powder and ginger, (not in the normal spice aisle)."