Curcumin : good or bad?

Hi,

At first I have to say I am not a doctor and this is not a medical advise.

Like any substance Curcumin has can have interractions in some situations or help and enhanc ethe efficacy of the therapy in other situations. It would be a pity not to use its advantages when it has no interractions. Nothing is black or white in medicine.

I als know Curcumin at therapeutic dosages (up to 8 grams a day) shouldn't be used for long periods . Ask your doctor when to decrease.

 Any way ask your doctor before doing anything

It's especially at therapeutical dosages that it shouldn't be taken for too long.

 Taken with curry I don't know. (lower dosage)

Aou should ask your doctor I'm not one

Have a nice day

Harley, hey girl. I have looked all over the Web and can't find anythings about overdosing or dangers of Curcumin, or too much. the dosage seems "unknown" and the SE's I found (neither of which impact me) are Nausea and diarrhea.

Anybody else have info???

It seems a powerful anti-cancer supplement. I take 2 per day of the ones at the url below. I feel it's important to get good curcumin. I switched from another brand that may not have been pure.

http://www.agelesscures.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4&products_id=2

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MD Anderson has done a study on this - I don't have the head of the studies recommendations, but it can be found on line asI did print it out a while ago.   Also, go to "Nosurrender.com" another good breast cancer forum, and go down the threads to "Cam's Edge" and it is all explained there too, a wealth of info.

Edited to change name of forum - here it is:

http://www.nosurrenderbreastcancersurvivorforum.org/ and go to the thread called "the Cutting Edge"  - tons of great medical evidence for supplements and alot about curcumin. 

I take 3600 mg a day with bioperine or pepper if I'm eating something I can put pepper on...and I take it with olive oil and usually at the same time as my fish oil and krill oil.

Where did you hear 5 grams is the therapeutic dose?  I can certainly up mine if I need to.

I use two kinds of Life Extension...one with bioperine and one that is Super Bio Curcumin and to those I add 2000 mg of Jarrow curcumin.  I was already using Jarrow when I joined LE and thought if I mix their's with the Jarrow maybe they will all absorb better and save money at the same time.  

I think I'm going to buy organic tumeric and start mixing it with pepper and oil and spread it on things or make a salad dressing or something to cut down on the 52 pills I take every day:)

People in countries where they eat a lot of turmeric do that for their whole lives.  They don't stop ingesting it so why should we?

Springtime...I, too, have researched and researched and cannot find any studies that caution about taking too much.  Obviously, if a person finds it does not agree with their system in some way they should stop taking it....I know a lady who is allergic to iceberg lettuce....so it is always possible that certain foods mess up some people's digestive tracts.  But I can't find anything that says curcumin/tumeric has a bad side health wise.

I don't know about timed released either, but I find I need a supplement for Curcumin as I can't remember to use Turmeric in cooking. Just feel better to be covered this way! 

This may help:

'Curcumin' web site of Dr Bharat Aggarwal of MD Anderson Cancer Center, with the info you need if interested in taking curcumin.

From the site:http://www.curcuminresearch.org/,
is this info on dosage:

Recommendations for Cancer:

If you have cancer, please consider curcumin for yourself as following regimen:

1 g/day for week one; if no side effects then,

2 g/day for week two; if no side effects then (can be split into three separate doses).

4 g/day for week three; if no side effects then (can be split into three separate doses).

8 g/day for week four; for eight weeks (can be split into three separate doses).

After 8 weeks, if no improvement is noted, curcumin is less likely to do anything for you.

If you do not have cancer, then one capsule (500 mg) per day is sufficient.

How should I take curcumin?

There are reports to indicate curcumin taken empty stomach is more effective than with the meals. Thus it is recommended that you take curcumin 1 h before meals. If you are taking curcumin powder (instead of capsule), you can mix it with milk, yogurt, coconut milk or other fluids.

Has there been any toxicity associated with curcumin?

Two Phase I studies have been published. These studies suggest that curcumin is safe in human subjects even when consumed up to 12 grams per day for three months. Inspite of it, one is recommended to take low dose (500 mg/day) and gradually increase dose if needed. Look for signs of both potential toxicity and improvement by talking to your body and to your doctor.

AmyIsStrong...don't forget to take some sort of oil...olive oil..coconut oil......at the same time.

Luna:

Lol!  Sometimes I can't make heads nor tails out of some of this stuff.  No idea how one would "see improvement."  That piece above is supposedly from hte doctor at MDA  that did this study.  I actually prefer the info on curcumin from the medical researcher that reports on all these supplements on the No surrender breast cancer site I cited in my earlier post.  His name Constantine and he is excellent.  Go over there and see all his scientific findings and suggestions.

"Can't figure out why they offer timed release curcumin though.  We don't eat timed release broccoli."

I'm thinking it has to do with the absorption of the curcumin.  There have been suggestions that the absorption rate isn't high so perhaps the thinking is that whereas a single dose would leave the body sooner, time-released is there longer and has a bettter chance to be absorbed.  Just my thinking on it.

"Can't figure out why they offer timed release curcumin though.  We don't eat timed release broccoli."

I'm thinking it has to do with the absorption of the curcumin.  There have been suggestions that the absorption rate isn't high so perhaps the thinking is that whereas a single dose would leave the body sooner, time-released is there longer and has a bettter chance to be absorbed.  Just my thinking on it.