Tests by a team at the Cork Cancer Research Centre (2009) show that Curcumin can destroy gullet cancer cells in the lab. Cancer experts said the findings in the British Journal of Cancer could help doctors find new treatments. Dr Sharon McKenna and her team found that curcumin started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours.
The cells also began to digest themselves, after the curcumin triggered lethal cell death signals. Dr McKenna said: “Scientists have known for a long time that natural compounds have the potential to treat faulty cells that have become cancerous and we suspected that curcumin might have therapeutic value.”
Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, said: “This is interesting research which opens up the possibility that natural chemicals found in turmeric could be developed into new treatments for oesophageal cancer.
“Rates of oesophageal cancer have gone up by more than a half since the 70s and this is thought to be linked to rising rates of obesity, alcohol intake and reflux disease so finding ways to prevent this disease is important too.”
Each year around 7,800 people are diagnosed with oesophageal cancer in the UK. It is the sixth most common cause of cancer death and accounts for around five percent of all UK cancer deaths.
Indications are that Curcumin is not only a powerful antioxidant, but also induces natural cell death (apoptosis). It can be used as either the dried powder (say, 1 teaspoonful) in a morning juice, or by juicing a small quantity (say, 4 inches or 50 gms) of fresh turmeric root (available from Asian grocery stores), with a morning carrot and apple juice. No optimal dose of curcumin for cancer treatment or prevention has been determined, although there appears to be no danger of overdosing. Note that there are some instances when curcumin in not recommended (see below). Moreover, although curcumin is known to cause the death of cancer cells, it has also been shown to counteract the effect of some chemotherapy drugs, but not methotrexate and fluorouracil (5FU).
The presence of curcumin in the gastrointestinal tract has been shown to inhibit the progress of colorectal cancer. Because curcumin absorption is greatly aided by the presence of piperine, the spicy substance in black pepper (Piper nigrum), it makes sense to add ground black pepper to the curcumin. In fact, piperine has also been shown to be effective in increasing the absorption of certain essential substances such as vitamin B, beta-carotene and selenium. One study indicates that the use of 20 mg of piperine enhances the absorption of 2 grams of curcumin by around 2000%. Recommended daily intake is between 5 mg and 15 mg.
Complement a Curcumin (Turmeric) treatment with a The Professional Rife Machine, Version 3 Machine.
