Tumeric...do you take it?

I checked with my oncologist 5 years ago and at that time he said that it wouldn't cause any harm and may help prevent recurrence.  Here is what PubMed (NIH) says about turmeric and cancer.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=turmeric+cancer  I take one 600mg pill per day.

I also take several other supplements that appear, in preliminary studies, to cause death of cancer cells.  I have checked each supplement I take with my doctor after doing research on PubMed. 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/23745991/?i=4&from=circumin trial breast cancer radiation



I use it and it cleared up my asthma, which was on track to kill me way faster than breast cancer (multiple ER visits, hospitalizations, steroids, etc). I have no trace of asthma since I starteed taking turmeric the day I was diagnosed with breast cancer. One "good" thing about this journey.



I am allowed to keep taking my dose during radiation which I just started, due to the small trial listed above. It is an anti-inflammatory rather than anti-oxidant, which are banned because they could could negate the effects of radiation.



In that trial the women were taking 6 grams per day, but I only take 1 gram, half AM half PM.



It is important to use one with piperine for better absorption. I use wild harvest from whole foods.



Good luck!

I was thinking the only time I use this is when I make pickles (I think). I was scrambling to think how I could incorporate Tumeric into daily cooking!!!!

I might talk to my doctor about since it helped sciencegal with her asthma.

I will also see if it interferes with any meds I am taking.

Thanks for the information on this!!

I buy turmeric root and grate it into smoothies. It has a bitter taste but not unpleasant, just distinctive. My sil said she never felt effects from capsules, only the raw. (We both feel that it relieves aches.)!But reading everyone's experiences here makes me think about buying some capsules. It's just hard to make a smoothie every morning. Sciencegal, I have mild asthma and pretty sizable lung tumors so your experience in particular was of interest to me.

I take 1g curcumin (a component of tumeric) twice a day. My naturopath recommended a capsule called Meriva-500 by Thorne Research. It is a great anti-inflammtory as well as having the potential to help prevent mets.

Sciencegal, I hear you when it comes to the cost of supplements. A capsule building party = great idea! A bottle of 120 capsules is just under $50 so it's not a cheap buy. At least it's 2 months worth for me.

No, the brand does not contain piperene/piperine...I just had a quick google lesson on piperene and it's affect on bioavailability. Then I went to Thorne Research website to investigate. This is what they claim:

Whether taken as a supplement or from food, curcumin is generally poorly absorbed into the bloodstream. In conjunction with Indena S.p.A., the worldwide experts in botanical extract technology, we have uncovered the key to curcumin absorption – phytosome technology. Meriva curcumin phytosome is a unique curcumin extract that is significantly better absorbed than other curcumin extracts.*

Phytosomes are plant extracts bound to phosphatidylcholine (PC), an essential component of human cells. Our bodies can make PC, but we can also get it from food or supplements. When taken orally, PC is very well absorbed. The scientists at Indena found a way to attach a curcumin extract to PC for superior absorption, resulting in Meriva. When you take Meriva your body absorbs the PC and the attached curcumin, resulting in more curcumin reaching the cells that can benefit from it.*

A 2007 single-dose pharmacokinetic animal study demonstrated Meriva's superior bioavailability, compared to ordinary curcumin.* The results demonstrated a >20-fold increase in absorption of curcumin from Meriva versus a standard curcumin preparation.* In addition, a 2010 three-month clinical trial demonstrated 1,000 mg of Meriva-SR per day helped maintain healthy C-reactive protein levels and promoted healthy joint comfort and mobility.* Furthermore, a 2010 randomized, single-blind, crossover human study revealed total curcuminoid bioavailability, as evaluated by the plasma area under the curve (AUC), to be 29-fold higher for Meriva than for the conventional standardized curcumin extract.*

Lynnt, I have done very minimal research on iodine. I asked my naturopath about it but she didn't recommend...I can't remember why.

Perusing other forums I came across the suggestion to, "visit iodine groups on yahoo run by Lynn Farrow...she is an expert on hormones, iodine and thyroid..."

Lynnt - do you recall where you read about the info about turmeric and tamoxifen interacting negatively together? Could you direct me to a source or a link?

I mix in a large bowl:

     Tumeric, Ginger, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, & Hershey's Cocoa

together & store in small jars. I take one teaspoon every morning with a small amount of water. Doesn't taste the best but I down it quickly & then have my cereal or smoothie.

I know some people who have made their own capsules but that is too much hassle for me. I have done this for probably 4-4 1/2 years now.  

I do take it but be careful of what fillers might be included some are soy based. Also was told for tumeric to be effective for fighting cancer cells it needs to be combined with black pepper. I was taking the tablets but now I pull apart the tablets and pour them into a small bowl and mix them with pepper which I pour onto my food. I do this about once or twice a day.

All the medical studies that I've read showing the effectiveness of turmeric against cancer cells used either straight turmeric or the active ingredient curcumin.  I have seen nothing on PubMed (NIH) that indicates pepper is needed for turmeric to be effective. 

Has anyone seen studies with pepper included that are published in the NIH?

Found this on turmeric and black pepper....interesting.

http://www.menshealth.com/mhlists/healthy-food-combinations/Turmeric_Black_Pepper.php

The studies in the links above indicate there is not a negative effect with the turmeric and tamoxifen, right?  It's too early to digest those studies...LOL

I'm also ER+ and tried to research turmeric in combination with tamoxifen.

I found turmeric under "foods to avoid while on tamoxifen", so I stopped taking it.

But I think it is fine to take with AIs, because AIs are not metabolized by the same liver enzymes as tamoxifen.

SRoberts, thank you for pointing out that turmeric, beside its powerful anti cancer properties, can thin the blood.

I'm so glad I stopped taking it, as in my situation it can not only affect tamoxifen therapy, but also increase a risk of bleeding, since I'm on daily anticoagulant injections to prevent clots.

I wish everything was simpler...