22 replies to this topic

[brendan1]

The Mind Unleashed

on 30 September, 2014 at 19:49

Components of turmeric – a well-known ingredient in curry spice – are wildly studied today for its anti-inflammatory effects and cancer prevention.

It turns out, a lesser-known bioactive turmeric compound promotes stem cell proliferation and differentiation in the brain, according to new research recently published in the open access journal Stem Cell Research & Therapy.

Results suggest aromatic turmerone could be a potential for treating neurological disorders, such as stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. Of course, the potential for researchers lies in its becoming a future drug candidate.

The study looked at the effects of aromatic (ar-) turmerone on endogenous neutral stem cells (NSC), which are stem cells found within adult brains.

 

NSC differentiate into neurons, and play an important role in self-repair and recovery of brain function in neurodegenerative diseases. Previous studies of ar-turmerone have shown that the compound can block activation of microglia cells – which are a part of central nervous system immune defense. When activated, these cells cause neuroinflammation, which is associated with different neurological disorders. However, ar-turmerone’s impact on the brain’s capacity to self-repair was unknown.
Researchers from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in Jülich, Germany, studied the effects of ar-turmerone on NSC proliferation and differentiation both in vitro and in vivo.

 

In vitro: Rat fetal NSC were cultured and grown in six different concentrations of ar-turmerone over a 72 hour period. At certain concentrations, ar-turmerone was shown to increase NSC proliferation by up to 80%, without having any impact on cell death. The cell differentiation process also accelerated in ar-turmerone-treated cells compared to untreated control cells.

To test the effects of ar-turmerone on NSC in vivo, the researchers injected adult rats with ar-turmerone. Using PET imaging and a tracer to detect proliferating cells, they found that the subventricular zone (SVZ) was wider, and the hippocampus expanded, in the brains of rats injected with ar-turmerone than in control animals. The SVZ and hippocampus are the two sites in adult mammalian brains where neurogenesis, the growth of neurons, is known to occur.

 

Lead author of the study, Adele Rueger, said:

While several substances have been described to promote stem cell proliferation in the brain, fewer drugs additionally promote the differentiation of stem cells into neurons, which constitutes a major goal in regenerative medicine. Our findings on aromatic turmerone take us one step closer to achieving this goal.

 

Of course, researchers are scrambling to isolate turmeric compounds to later produce patented pharmaceuticals. While their discoveries are a revelation, it shouldn’t diminish the power of consuming whole-food turmeric and letting all the compounds go to work. Inexpensive, bulk turmeric power can be easily found at the health food store or online. Tinctures are a concentrated form that can be taken in liquids, and capsules are preferable if the strong taste cannot be withstood.

This study shows that the anti-inflammatory benefits of turmeric extend to the brain and nervous system which could make it ideal in a diet to potentially help with neurodegenerative and auto-immune problems.

**This article was featured at Activist Post.**

 

http://themindunleas...stem-cells.html

[normalizing]

read this too and thought, there is no turmerone in the popular turmeric supplements, why is that? it seems to have been left out for whatever reason. perhaps it is minor reason typical turmeric extract standardized to contain only curcumin doesnt really work as effectively with limited bioavailability?

[Flex]

Neurogenesis in the SVZ seems not promizing.

As wellas the hippocampal, because these cells are made only for the hippocampus and they different than e.g. cortical neurons

 

Human and monkey striatal interneurons are derived from the medial ganglionic eminence but not from the adult subventricular zone.

http://www.ncbi.nlm....pubmed/25122892

 

Perhaps its flawed but if so, the interneurons thath are originated from the SVZ are not real or main neurons:

http://www.the-scien...uronal-Rebirth/

 

Nevertheless:

..Eventually, Frisén and his colleagues’ findings could impact regenerative medicine research and the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Kriegstein noted that researchers might even manipulate the SVZ to produce a greater variety of cells than just striatal interneurons. Perhaps someday progenitor neurons produced in the SVZ could be prodded to migrate in various directions and repair a variety of brain injuries and degenerations.

 

Dont want to be a downer, but if You believe wrong things, then happens something like this <eyerolls> :

http://www.longecity...g-needs-advice/

 

On the other hand, I would be actually happy if someone could disprove my thoughts

Edited by Flex, 02 October 2014 - 12:22 PM.

[Kalliste]

I'm a turmeric fan and I thought this was very encouraging. Over all turmeric and curcumin have received very good reviews for many years. It's nice to see an in vivo trial even though they used injections.

I would love a big trial were subjects were fed the root of Turmeric along with some black pepper.

[normalizing]

injection or not, people keep missing the point that its not the turmeric extract but a turmerone now typically found in supplements used here. so cosmicalstorm you are confused buddy

[Kalliste]

So the Turmeric root is not a good source for this? Would you please explain what you mean?
 

 

Spice injection

Researchers from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in Julich, Germany, studied the effects of aromatic-turmerone - a compound found naturally in turmeric.

Rats were injected with the compound and their brains were then scanned.

Particular parts of the brain, known to be involved in nerve cell growth, were seen to be more active after the aromatic-turmerone infusion.

Scientists say the compound may encourage a proliferation of brain cells.

In a separate part of the trial, researchers bathed rodent neural stem cells (NSCs) in different concentrations of aromatic-tumerone extract.

NSCs have the ability to transform into any type of brain cell and scientists suggest they could have a role in repair after damage or disease.

Dr Maria Adele Rueger, who was part of the research team, said: "In humans and higher developed animals their abilities do not seem to be sufficient to repair the brain but in fish and smaller animals they seem to work well."

 

 

[chemicalambrosia]

I'm a turmeric fan and I thought this was very encouraging. Over all turmeric and curcumin have received very good reviews for many years. It's nice to see an in vivo trial even though they used injections.

I would love a big trial were subjects were fed the root of Turmeric along with some black pepper.

 

I would also like to see that study done. It seems Turmeric might be something you can't get the full benefits of from a simple curcumin supplement. I have noticed some good results from curcumin though, so I wonder if a regimen using bulk Turmeric might be that much better. Timar's polypulp starts looking more appetizing again: http://www.longecity...imars-polypulp/

[Kalliste]

That might be a good idea. I'm a bit uncertain. I know Spindlers trials along these lines did not produce favorable results. OTOH there seems to be a mountain of suggestive evidence pointing towards this stuff being good in humans. After all Spindlers rats did not live in an environment full of gunk that we live in.

The cynical part of me wonder if the Curcumin supplement industry is only in it for the money. Maybe the combination of junk in Turmeric roots is the real kicker. I have long suspected that it's difficult to isolate single substances from complex sources and deriving benefits from them.

I wish we already had automated bio-labs where this stuff could be tested in all it's detail on lab on a chip models of human biology.

[Flex]

I´ve read somewhere that the other compounds in tumeric increase the bioavailability of curcumin

and pure curcumin ,perhaps without bioperine & etc., has a self-limiting effect i.e. no matter how much do You take,

only the same certain ammount reaches Your bloodstream.

[blood]

LEF is currently offering 50% off their curcumin + tumerones + ginger product:

https://mycart.lef.o...ampaign=BGJ401W

 

 

[Justchill]

I'm having 5g's of curcumin with bioperine and nutoil every day; it helps with pains, but I don't feel actually much from it.

I wonder what the long term effects are...

[Galaxyshock]

I take a tablespoon of turmeric + a teaspoon of black pepper, is this enough for the benefits?

[Godof Smallthings]

I wonder if turmerones are more easily transported through the brain blood barrier than curcuminoids?

[Adaptogen]

I take a tablespoon of turmeric + a teaspoon of black pepper, is this enough for the benefits?

 

yep. a tablespoon of turmeric powder contains roughly 600 mg curcumin, and a teaspoon of black pepper contains 50-100mg piperine. Only about 20mg piperine is needed to enhance curcumin's bioavailabilty 2000%, so half a teaspoon of piper nigrum should be plenty.

[Justchill]

How does that taste

[Kalliste]

Blend it with some food. Fried eggs with olive oil is an excellent choice. Personally I use a lot of pepper, that has a lot of benefits of it own it seems and it tastes great. Buy the fresh Turmeric root. It's cheap and probably contains stuff the powder dont.

[Justchill]

Here: http://www.iherb.com...anic-1-lb/22718

 

Doesn't taste too bad!

[bocor]

Tumerones are abundant in the essential oil of turmeric so we could just take a few drops of turmeric essential oil to supplement

[normalizing]

not sure if consuming black pepper regularly is a good idea tho. it might contain beneficial stuff but also there are things that can cause cancer as reported from animal studies. either consume curcumin by itself or just shake fist at the sky and blame God for not making everything perfect.

[Gerrans]

After reading about a year ago that turmeric might be good for me, I started taking a capsule every day with my breakfast. And I would occasionally put some of the powder in food. I did not notice any effect, but it is so cheap that I thought I might as well continue.

 

About a week ago I ran out of capsules, and instead I put a level tablespoon of the powder (a great increase in dose) in water and drank it before breakfast. About an hour after breakfast I had distinct pains in the liver, gallstone area, which I associated with the turmeric. Since then, I have not had those pains, so I wonder if the turmeric stimulated the liver or bile or something. It is said to benevolent in those areas.

 

Anyway, a week has passed, and it has struck me that my dreams have been exceptionally vivid and lucid recently. The only difference in my diet has been the turmeric. I have just looked turmeric and dreams up on line and there many anecdotes about turmeric affecting dreams. I think I will stop the turmeric for a while to see if my dreams go back to normal.

 

*

If there is anything to my observations (and if they are not just my imagination), the implications are encouraging, I think. If turmeric affects dreams then it clearly affects the brain somehow, thus giving support to some of the reports about turmeric and curcumin and brain health. But what is really cheering is the possibility that one might get real effects from something as basic as cheap supermarket powdered turmeric. (This was Tesco Everyday Value turmeric, the cheapest in town.) It would mean that people might be able to obtain benefit from turmeric without buying fancy curcumin or turmeric extracts or having to mess about with raw turmeric root. I do eat a little black pepper with my breakfast. Whether that makes a difference, I do not know. But certainly I do not take piperine supplements. Taking the largish amount of a level tablespoonful of turmeric seems to have been the difference in my case, nothing more complicated than that.

 

 

Edited by Gerrans, 02 December 2014 - 06:50 PM.

[normalizing]

gerrans but you are likely to have taken dozen of other things too. dont tell me you dont take any other pills of any form, a basic vitamin c even. anything, maybe you drink coffee in the morning regularly too and consume something specific at night as well that can completely change your mindset IF turmeric is added to those

[Gerrans]

gerrans but you are likely to have taken dozen of other things too. dont tell me you dont take any other pills of any form, a basic vitamin c even. anything, maybe you drink coffee in the morning regularly too and consume something specific at night as well that can completely change your mindset IF turmeric is added to those

 

You have a point, but I am eating almost precisely the same food every day, and it looks to me as if the turmeric--which is the only thing I am going gung ho on--is the key difference. Since I made that post I have been eating even larger amounts, to experiment, while keeping all other food (and the few supplements I take) the same. Before long I will stop eating turmeric altogether for a spell and see if things change. In my experience, dreams this vivid have always been associated with a specific foodstuff or herb. Ashwagandha, for example, gives me dreams, though of a different nature from my present ones.

Edited by Gerrans, 08 December 2014 - 10:12 PM.

[Godof Smallthings]

Anecdotally, after having had three large glasses of turmeric root chopped up into hot water and mixed with strong Oolong green tea over the course of a day, the following night I had an extremely pleasant dream-type experience that was unlike any other I have had: I could envision and let loose any music I wanted in my mind - several threads of music running at once with harmonies and dynamics, and no limit to the type of sound I was able to generate, either.

 

There were no clear visuals associated, but it was not a self-transcendent experience either - there was a sense of an 'I' that came up with ideas, which were then somehow set free and realized into auditory stimuli, seemingly taking on a life of their own. This is very unusual for me, as since some 15 or 20 years back, I almost never remember my dreams. Of course, it is just one experience... but it seems to support Gerrans experience somewhat.