Can Curcumin From Turmeric Help Relieve Arthritis Symptoms?
Arthritis is a condition that many people suffer with and it especially affects the elderly community, although it is not only limited to this community. According to the Arthritis Foundation, there are more than 100 various types of arthritis or related conditions. Arthritic conditions do not discriminate and can affect anybody no matter what their age, sex, or race is and is currently the leading cause of disability in America.
The symptoms that people suffer with from arthritic conditions are quite unpleasant and can make even the easiest of tasks seem quite a challenge. Symptoms can include but are not limited to swelling, pain, stiffness in joints, decrease in range of motion, chronic pain, and knobby finger joints. Arthritis is not just limited to the joints though. Depending on what type of arthritis, it can also affect the eyes, heart, kidneys, and skin.
Luckily for individuals dealing with joint arthritic conditions, there are many available options for treatments depending on your personal preferences. One of the commonly used products that people rave about using for arthritic conditions is the use of curcumin from the turmeric herb. Turmeric has also been used in other conditions such as oxidative and inflammatory conditions, metabolic syndrome, anxiety, hyperlipidemia, exercise-induced inflammation and muscle soreness, headaches, diarrhea, common cold, stress, oral mucositis, radiation dermatitis, diabetes, kidney inflammation, worms, cystitis, and also for the general health benefits of being a natural antioxidant, antimutagenic, antimicrobial, anticancer, and natural anti-inflammatory. Curcumin, also called diferuloylmethane, is the main polyphenol that is found in the turmeric rhizome. Curcumin has been shown to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in a mouse model study published in the International Immunopharmacology journal.
One of the important factors around consuming turmeric/curcumin for its therapeutic properties is the issue of poor bioavailability due to poor absorption, rapid metabolism, and rapid elimination through the body. Due to this, adding in another agent to increase the bioavailability is important to benefit from the therapeutic properties from curcumin. Piperine, which comes from black pepper, is the most commonly used agent as it increases bioavailability by 2,000 %.
***Safety around consuming turmeric orally or using it topically is generally safe when used appropriately. Turmeric and the constituent curcumin have been used safely in clinical trials lasting up to 12 months. Turmeric or turmeric extracts when used in doses of 2.2 grams per day. Curcumin in a single 12-gram dose or in doses up to 4 grams per day for no more than 30 days. If pregnant or nursing, turmeric is likely safe in amounts commonly found in food; turmeric may stimulate menstrual flow and the uterus. There is insufficient reliable information available about the safety of using turmeric in medicinal amounts during lactation. Interactions with drugs: anticoagulant/antiplatelet drugs, antidiabetes drugs, Camptothecin, Cyclophosphamide, Cytochrome P450 Substrates (1A1, 1A2, 3A4), Docetaxel, Doxorubicin, estrogens, Glyburide, Mechlorethamine, Norfloxacin, P-Glycoprotein substrates, Paclitaxel, Sulfasalazine, Tacrolimus, Talinolol, anticoagulant/antiplatelet herbs and supplements, herbs and supplements with hypoglycemic potential, and iron. Interactions with diseases: bile duct obstruction, gallstones, bleeding disorders, diabetes, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hormone-sensitive cancers/conditions, infertility, iron deficiency, and surgeries.
References
- https://www.arthritis.org/about-arthritis/understanding-arthritis/what-is-arthritis.php
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25352926
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664031/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20188213
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1567576910000706?via%3Dihub
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19371737
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5003001/
- https://naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com/databases/food,-herbs-supplements/professional.aspx?productid=662
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