Turmeric for Cancer

A rhizomatous plant which grows in tropical regions, turmeric is a perennial herb that belongs to the Zingiberaceae family. Turmeric, a plant native to South Asia has been used in Ayurvedic medicines for a very long time. Powder obtained from dried turmeric rhizomes is mainly used as a spice; medicinal uses of turmeric too are well-known. Curcumin, a chemical present in turmeric is known to have medicinal properties. Turmeric is therefore, used as an antibiotic, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory agent. The digestive system also benefits a lot from the usage of turmeric.

Turmeric for Treating Cancer

The substance called curcumin is helpful in acting against cancer cells. Different forms of cancer that can be treated with curcumin include stomach cancer, bowel cancer, breast cancer and skin cancer. The effectiveness of curcumin in cancer treatment has been proved in bowel cancer treatment. A laboratory study on effectiveness of curcumin in the year 2007 proved that instead of using chemotherapy alone, it should be complimented with curcumin usage. The following points would explain to us the importance of turmeric usage in cancer prevention.

• Curcumin present in turmeric causes inhibition of enzymes which promote tumor-growth in the body. Thus, it leads to indirect interference in the growth of cancerous cells.
• One of the factors responsible for occurrence of cancer and heart diseases is the presence of free radicals. Curcumin being an antioxidant neutralizes the free radicals and thus, reduces the risk of cancer.
• Most studies regarding treatment of cancer with turmeric have been conducted on animals. In an experiment conducted on mice, the results showed a reduction of 40% in benign tumors.
• The benign tumors in mice were caused by genes responsible for colon cancer in human beings.
• A study similar to the one mentioned above was conducted on 3 groups of mice. All the 3 mice groups were injected with prostate cancer cells responsible for development of malignant tumors.
• Two groups of mice were given the curcumin extract, while the third group wasn't treated at all. The first 2 groups showed around 70% recovery i.e. reduction in tumor size by 70% as compared to the last group.
• There hasn't been much study or experiments being conducted on the effect of curcumin on humans directly. One should always go by the doctor's advice and remain on the safe side in matters related to health.
• Apart from the treatment of cancer, turmeric has been used for dementia and arthritis for a long time.

Latest Research on Turmeric Cancer Relation
According to latest research carried out on the effectiveness of curcumin in cancer treatment, the following findings have been obtained: ovarian cancer cells become more vulnerable to treatments like radiotherapy and chemotherapy, if pre-treated with curcumin. Dr. Subhash Chauhan and Dr Meena Jaggi carried out the in vitro study with the help of research teams from University of South Dakota and Stanford University, USA.

How to Take Turmeric
The medicines prepared from turmeric are available in tablet, capsule as well as powder form. Products available in the market are sold as either curcumin or turmeric based medicines. Dosage of curcumin should be determined with the advice of medical practitioners. This is because the percentage of curcumin content in turmeric used as a spice is not enough to have an effect on reduction of cancerous growths. Intake of curcumin is considered to be safe only in the dosage recommended by doctors. Patients with obstructed bile ducts or those having gallstones, gastrointestinal ulcers should not take the curcumin medicine. Curcumin based medicines should not be taken during pregnancy.

The information about turmeric for cancer treatment is provided in short, in the article above. As mentioned earlier, one should take curcumin based medicines for cancer under the guidance of doctors.